Pokémon: Project Gray
by TrickyWolfyx
Summary: The Kanto region becomes victim to many violent attacks done by an unknown figure. Familiar and new characters join forces to fight for their freedom as well as their lives within this new world full of uncontrollable chaos, poverty, and disasters caused by the imbalance of nature. The right to own Pokemon is slowly dissolving due to the havoc, but a powerful alliance is forming.
1. Confusion

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 1: Confusion_

_(The target is hit by a weak telekinetic force. It may also leave the target confused)_

_[Please read the description of the story on my profile so you will fully understand the style that this will be written. Thank you so much for reading! Please Enjoy! :3]_

**(One more thing, I know that Red is listed as one of the main characters, however, he will not appear till around chapter 10-13. I apologize for the confusion)**

* * *

Sparks and smoke danced throughout the air of the Viridian Gym. Two of the gym leader's creatures collided in the middle of the building as a large spotlight shined on the both of them, their roars bouncing off the walls of the metal building causing the building to shake in their glory. Flames that could melt the strongest material erupted through the glistening teeth of one of the large beasts and was about to collide with a large blast of electricity that could probably power-up a skyscraper in an instant..

As the elements met, the room lit up with a large explosion, causing the windows to shatter and almost blowing the door completely off the building. Along with the boom of the explosion, more roars came from the two beasts who caused it: a large violet colored bipedal monster, with two long poisonous fangs escaping its mouth and a green dinosaur-like creature which stood on two spiked legs, its mouth filled with ominous fangs as well.

As the smoke floated away, a sigh which sounded rather annoyed, echoed throughout the room as Gym Leader Blue emerged from some of the debris. "Maybe Gramps will be nice enough to pay for the damages again." He said as he scratched his ear with his pinkie finger. Blue never took the gym leading seriously anymore. He got bored often so he would either train his own Pokemon in the gym, which usually caused a few damages within the place, or he wouldn't even show up at all.

It had been a while since he had gotten a good challenge and he felt as if he was there for nothing, as the only reason why he took over the Viridian Gym was because he wanted intense training so he could defeat the one who took the Champion title away from him...Red.

The thought of the name made him scoff and shake his head as he approached his Pokemon. He was slightly disappointed that he was not getting the training he wanted. All who challenged him were way out of his league. Most of them either had an ego which drove them to challenge Blue, but they would turn out to be very inexperienced battler.

Once in awhile, he would get a very good battle with the trainers who have been training at the gym for months, but eventually, he was able to predict all of their moves and his Pokemon did not profit from it. Blue finally came to conclusion that he was starting to miss traveling and training outside of the gym.

"Ugh man." He mumbled as he leaned against one of his Pokemon, which was his Tyranitar. His other poison-typed beast stood close by awaiting more orders from its trainer. "Let's go home. No one's comin'. I'll call up Gramps in the morning about _your_ accident." He said with a smirk as he returned both of his creatures back to their pokeballs. He could have sworn that they both gave him glares about his last comment.

He shrugged and proceeded to walk to the corner of the gym where he keeps his bag of food, magazines, and his pokegear/cell. He always attempted to stuff his bag with pointless things to help his boredom. He made sure that all of his Pokeballs that contained his faithful team were around his belt and easy to kneeled down and threw every item back within the bag, not caring if it was neat or not. He pulled the string to tighten it back up, and put it over his shoulder as he got back to his feet. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and headed for the exit, daydreaming about what he was going to eat that night.

"Hm?" He opened his eyes whenever he heard footsteps approaching him. Four men walked into gym wearing uniforms, all with the same badge pinned to their shirts. One of them looked really familiar but the gym leader's memory was slightly rusty. Blue looked at them with a confused expression and noticed that they were all armed with weapons.

They were also being followed by a Machoke, but it appeared to have a strange metal band around his neck and its leg had been branded with the same symbol which was pinned on the men's uniforms. He could not tell if these men were the police or the military so he decided that he would hear them out."Sup?" The gym leader mumbled to the men.

"Gym Leader Blue, We have come to ask for your cooperation and loyalty for the sake of this country. You must leave your gym and service the world for the greater good." The man standing in front of the group said sternly.

"Eh..Sorry. I'm not really interested." The younger man said as he made his way through the uniformed officials. Before the gym leader could get too far, the Machoke swiftly grabbed his arm, causing Blue to feel threatened and more aggravated."Hey! What are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the men hatefully, knowing that these people were not who he thought they were. "Who are you? Why should I work for you people?!"

"I'm afraid you really dont have much choice Mr. Blue." Another man within the group approached Blue slowly and handed him a piece of paper which contained many cursive signatures on the bottom.. The annoyed young man snatched the paper from his hand and began to read it. His angry expression quickly turned into shock as he continued to read every word carefully, but there was one section that stood out the most.

_"...all Gyms and the Elite Four Championships will be shut down..."_

As he read that line, he squeezed the paper, not even finishing the sentence and looked back up at the uniformed men. "What?" He mumbled, almost growling. "You can't take away _my_ gym! How the hell do you think you can just shut down everything that people live for?!" He winced when the Machoke tightened its grip on his arm. "Pokemon are dangerous creatures and not everyone is responsible enough to have such a beasts at their command, like Team Rocket for an example."

Blue looked back at the wrinkled paper and continue to read in disbelief. "What does Team Rocket have to do with my gym? They are long gone!"

"Mr. Blue, surrender to us, or you will lose your own Pokemon and you will go to prison. It is the law. Gym Leaders must work for us."

"The.._law_?" The gym leader's brown hair covered his eyes as he dropped the paper and it floated down to the ground slowly. Right has the paper hit the ground, Blue quickly grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it at the Machoke's face.

"Psybeam now!" An Alakazam materialized from the red light that emerged from the ball, then seconds later, a beam which gave off many colors was fired at the Machoke's body. The fighting type Pokemon released Blue's arm as it cried out from the attack. The trainer took this opportunity to sprint away from the stunned Pokemon and the uniformed men.

He grabbed yet another pokeball from his belt and threw it above him. The pokeball made its signature loud pop noise as a large bird emerged from the light and screeched loudly as it stretched its wings, casting a shadow as it flew in front of the sun.

The familiar uniformed man who was apparently the leader of the group threw a pokeball of his own. "Use thunderbolt, Raichu!" The electric pokemon began to charge up for the attack, electricity sparking from its yellow cheeks. Blue's large bird pokemon elegantly flew down to the ground and flew parallel to the fleeing gym leader. "Alakazam! Confusion!" Blue screamed as he continued to run.

The Alakazam's eyes began to glow as well as the spoons it was holding and sent a pulse of energy at the men their Pokemon. The Raichu shot a bolt of electricity from its body and towards the Alakazam, but the attack was only hurled back. It hit the Raichu and the Machoke, though the fighting type Pokemon felt more of the impact from the electric attack.

The Alakazam created another pulse, using Confusion once again. The men and their Pokemon's bodies began to glow the same color as the Psychic pokemon's narrowed eyes and they all hurled over in pain, holding their heads tightly. The Raichu charged up for another electric attack, but to their dismay, it electrocuted the Machoke, giving Blue even more time. Blue jumped unto the flying creature's back and grabbed its long colorful head feathers, now controlling the direction of the bird. Blue and his Pokemon swiftly turned around and headed back to the scene of the action.

"Pidgeot, use Razor Wind!" The bird shrieked in response as it began flapping its large wings powerfully towards the distracted men. Sharp blade-like pieces of energy formed in the wind as well as loose dirt swirled up and quickly made their way to Blue's enemies. The Alakazam was returned to its pokeball and was put back on the gym leader's belt as the Razor Wind attack made contact with the men.

The force of the wind knocked the people off their feet, some being blown back, hitting the door of the gym. The Machoke was able to use its body to shield the humans from the blade-like energy. When the dust had cleared, Gym Leader Blue had fled into the clouds, feeling accomplished that he did not give into the ridiculousness of having his freedom taken away from him.

The men helped each other up and looked into the sky, their expressions really have not changed much as one of the men approached the leader. "Lieutenant Surge, What do we do, now?" The taller uniformed man returned his Raichu to its pokeball, not taking his eyes off of the sky. "Report that Blue Oak of Pallet Town, Gym Leader of Viridian City, has escaped and caused an act of treason. He must be found and punished." He began to walk away from the gym, leaving the other three men behind. "As for the gym, destroy it."


	2. Sunny Day

_**Pokémon: Project Gray**_

_Chapter 2: Sunny Day_

Giggles and cries of joy filled the air as a giddy young woman spun her younger nephew around above her in a playful manner, holding him up under his arms. Her golden hair was being held up with a lace ribbon which was a beautiful shade of red and it streamed down her head, blending with her amber locks, though the wind caused it to dance all around them. Her hair was slightly uneven and messy, but she rarely thought about her appearance. Her skin was a little tanned due to her being outside all the time and a huge smile stretched across her face while she continued to play with her young family member.

A small Jolteon barked happily as she frolicked around the feet of the humans, her yellow fur glowing in the sun. "You ready for tomorrow, Jaden?" The girl asked the small boy as she put him on her shoulders. Jaden stretched his arms out as if he were flying. "Yeah! It is going to be awesome, Scarlett! I can't wait!" The girl had forgotten how heavy he was. She should have known that a boy of ten would not feel like a bag full of feathers. "It is going to be a big day for you! Which one are you going to chose?" She asked as she strained to keep balance.

"I don't know." Jaden said in a more saddened tone. "They all seem so cool."

Scarlett sunk to her knees to let her nephew get off of her shoulders. She sighed in relief and she playfully scratched his chocolate brown hair which appeared to have been cut recently. He was such an adorable kid. His large jade eyes would make the toughest people want to hug him like a teddiursa doll. "Well, whichever one you choose, it will be perfect and I will help you train it." She said with a smile. "Well, I better go so I'll get to work on time.. I'll see you tomorrow! Happy 10th birthday, Jaden!" He hugged her tightly and thanked her, then ran across the fresh lawn back to his house. She remembered when she first turned ten and began her journey. She was just as excited as he was. She was around the age eighteen now, but the memories were still freshly painted in her mind.

She inhaled as she reached for a Ultraball around her magnetic belt and gently pulled it off. She pressed the small button in the center of the ball, causing it to grow to its full size, and threw the ball in front of her. It opened with a loud snap noise as a bright white light snaked its way out of its prison. A massive beast covered in flowing brown fur materialized from the light and let out a majestic roar which echoed through the trees. A three-pointed yellow crest was upon its forehead and white cape-like fur made wave motions in the breeze, resembling smoke. Its blade-like claws were hidden in its large paws which was bonded by black medal bands. He was Scarlett's pride and joy which she spent years tracking down. Scarlett climbed unto her Pokemon's back, adjusted herself until she was comfortable, and gently grabbed the volcano Pokemon's thick mane. Her Jolteon jumped up as well, and made its way to Scarlett's lap.

They quickly darted off through the woods, dodging every tree, rock, and bush effortlessly. After a few minutes, they made it to the main area of the city in which they lived, Ecruteak City. It was a small city that was really spaced out, but so many memories had been made there in the few years that Scarlett had lived there. She was originally from Unova Region in Nimbasa Town, but moved to Johto because it was just too expensive to live there, but she wasn't complaining at all.

She was perfectly happy in this new region, and she believed that she was more satisfied here anyway. They ran right through her beloved city,heading west, and with her Pokemon's brilliant speed, they had already made it to the border which separated Johto and Kanto. She had ran this route so many times that her Pokemon had memorized it perfectly. Finally, they made it to Fushia City, located in the Kanto Region.

They ran until they reached a fancy building which was painted with extremely bright colors. No one could not miss this place even if the sun never shined again. Scarlett and her Pokemon walked toward the door, a quiet bell sound could be heard as they entered and the automatic doors slowly closed behind them.

The place smelled of soap and perfume, and the sound of buzzing, splashing, and cries from Pokemon could be heard. Scarlett hopped off the back of the brown beast, and faced the large Pokemon with a smile. "Thank you again, Entei." She said as she petted its face. Entei lowered its head and nuzzled its trainer in response, then straightened up in a powerful stance. As soon as the jolteon jumped from its back, Scarlett returned her magnificant Pokemon back into the Ultraball.

The young trainer clocked in at a register and took the ribbons out of her hair, then put her hair up a lot higher on top of her head and secured her golden locks with the ribbons once more. The bell was heard again whenever an old couple walked in, followed by a Persian. "Hello. How may I help you, today?" Scarlett asked politely. "Just a bath and a little trim. The weather is getting pretty hot, and his fur is getting a little thick." The woman said as the Persian jumped onto the desk. "Okie dokie Ma'am. I will do my best." "Thank you, dear."

"Come on buddy." Scarlett said as she walked into another room. The cat Pokemon followed slowly, not really liking the idea of a bath but he was obedient anyway. Scarlett placed him in a raised tub, turned on some warm water, and began to wet his fur. She massaged the soap unto the Persian's body and said soothing words to it so the cat Pokemon would remain calm. Jolteon sat on a table nearby and watched. Scarlett then turned her attention to the TV which was in the top center of the room. She tilted her head ever so slightly whenever she heard the message as she continued to lather the soap in the cat's fur.

_"Rescue teams were able to recover the last missing individual who was trapped within the Celadon Game Corner's demolished building. They will proceed to clear out the debris in hope to find more clues as to what even caused the collapse."_ The news reporter said in a monotone voice.

Curiosity caused her to continue watching. She really wished that she had watched the news more often. What could have happened in Celadon City? Scarlett used to love the game corner because she would visit there once she got off work, plus she always prepared and groomed the prize pokemon that were given away. It was hard to believe that one of her favorite places to go was destroyed.

_ "Another accident has occurred in Viridian City, which left the gym completely destroyed as well. Rubble and ash is the only thing that is left of the once proud gym."_ The news reporter said as a photo of the gym came on the screen. _"The cause of the destruction is mystery, but authorities are gathering as much information as they can. Also, due to the disaster that took place in the Celadon Game Corner, the people of Kanto must be on guard at all times for these attacks are unpredictable."_

"The Celadon Game Corner, and now the Viridian Gym?" The young trainer mumbled to herself. She wondered if it was Team Rocket's actions that caused these disasters, but no one have even seen any activity from the famous crooks in years. Everyone just figured that they disbanded. It was mind-blowing to her that all of this happened in the span of only two weeks. She was disappointed for more than one reason because of the loss of Viridian Gym. Scarlett would have gone to the Elite Four because she did defeat all of the Johto gyms, but she promised to help her mother's sister and son to live since they are not successful financially. It was her mother's dying wish.

She really wished that she could challenge all of the Kanto gym leaders, and her busy job did not hinder her from training her Pokemon everyday, but if these disasters keep occurring, she might not even get that chance. She pulled the water faucet over the Persian and began to wash the soup off the Pokemon. She had noticed that all the cities that contained a gym were operating differently.. A few gyms had also closed down and no one really knew what the cause was. Scarlett asked why the gym leaders just left but there was always a different excuse from the people over time.

_"He just quit."_

_"He got ill, and had to leave."_

_"He went on a trip, but he will be back."_

Even the gym leader within Ecruteak City was gone. Many trainers had been held up and most of them grew angry since they could not continue their journey. Scarlett sighed as she began to brush the Persians wet fur, the cat pokemon sat there patiently, actually enjoying the feeling of the bristles on its back. Scarlett listened to the purrs of the cat as she drifted into deep thought, wondering if how long it will be until Gym Leader Morty would return. Was he really on a trip or is something _seriously wrong?_

* * *

X~ The strong and cool wind comforted Blue as it covered his face, his hair dancing in the breeze. With Pidgeot's head feathers still tightly gripped in one of his hands, they began to drop in height. Both the gym leader and the bird Pokemon scanned the land, sky, and trees for any suspicious characters. He patted its feathers with his free hand while they looked, thanking it for helping him out back in Viridian.

When they knew it was safe, the bird lowered itself even closer to the ground. Its powerful wings caused the loose dirt to spiral elegantly around its feet as it hovered above the ground. Blue jumped off of his loyal bird and continued to eye the new area, wondering where they had flown to. He knew that they had passed Cerulean City, but this place was new to him, considering that he only visited the routes that was on his town map when he went on his first journey.

The sun was slowly disappearing into the horizon and the loss of light was making it harder to see. Blue returned his Pidgeot and reached for another Pokeball from his belt, holding it a few inches from his chest.

The ball snapped open and the familiar white light made its way to the ground, materializing a black fox Pokemon. It was quite a beautiful creature that had large ruby eyes and its dark fur had the luster of the midnight sky. Glowing gold rings were on its forehead, and above its legs, emitting light a few feet from where it stood.

"Thanks bud." Blue said with a smile as he approached the glowing fox. He kneeled in front of it and scratched its head as a small reward for lighting up the area. "Kay Umbreon, let's go find some firewood. Lead the way." The Umbreon barked in response and began to walk in the west direction. There were trees all around them that they could cut down, but he knew that those men probably have not forgotten about what happened earlier this morning and were most likely following him. Making too much noise might be a very bad idea. He thought it would be fun to camp outside again like the good old days anyway.

_"...all Gyms and the Elite Four Championships will be shut down ..."_

He thought back at what he had read, trying to process it. He almost laughed when he remembered what one of the men said to him:

_'"Mr. Blue, surrender to us, or you will lose your own Pokemon and you will go to prison. It is the law.'_

"Yeah, barge in my own gym and arrest me? The authority has obviously forgotten who I am." He said as he kicked a rock which almost hit his umbreon. The dark fox growled at him but continued to walk, picking up a few small sticks with its mouth. Blue picked up a few dead limbs and twigs that were scattered on the ground as he continued to ponder about everything that had just happened. He wished that he would have read the entire piece of paper so most of his unanswered questions would not be a mystery to him.

Once they got a decent amount of wood, Blue looked around for a comfortable spot to set camp. He then found himself yawning. He was surprised that he was so tired when it was so early in the night. "Oh well." He said as threw all of the sticks and limbs all in a pile in front of him, not even caring anymore. "Good enough." He mumbled while he began to dig through his bag, searching for a lighter.

The umbreon tilted its head but obeyed its trainer, dropping the sticks it collected in the pile of wood. After the gym leader found the lighter, he started the fire, then laid down a few feet away from it, enjoying the warmth of the flame. The ground was not really comfortable, but he had slept on a bare floor before. He gave his umbreon gentle scratches on its back when the dark fox curled up into his chest and closed his eyes, attempting to get some sleep.

Right as he was about to fall asleep, his Pokegear rang loudly in his pocket, slightly startling the sleepy gym leader. "Ughh. What now?" He mumbled as he pulled the piece of equipment out of his pocket. It said he had one new message on the screen so he naturally opened and read it, but it did not display a number or a name.

_"She's lovely"_ Read the text message. Blue slightly chuckled at the message and figured it was just the wrong number so he simply put the Pokegear back in his pocket. Once he got comfortable again, it rang again. He growled as he dung it out of his pocket and read the message again, planning to text back saying that they had the wrong number.

_"Pickng Daisies. Sorry for your loss." _Read the new message. This one spooked Blue so he decided to track where the message was coming from out of curiosity. He punched in a few numbers on the device and waited patiently until it was able to find the messenger. His heart skipped a beat when it revealed the location.

It came from Pallet Town at his old address. He gasped as he quickly got off the ground, grabbed his bag and summoned his Pidgeot once again, climbing unto its back. Umbreon jumped on as well and growled lowly, matching its trainer's expression perfectly.

Something was seriously wrong back at home.

"Daisy.." He whispered in distress as they instantly disappeared into the pitch black sky.


	3. Fake Tears

_**Pokémon: Project Gray**_

_Chapter 3: Fake Tears_

_(__Author's note: There has been an update to "Sunny Day" regarding Scarlett's occupation. She also groomed and pampered the prize pokemon that were being given away at the Celedon Game Corner..)_

One day had passed since Scarlett had seen the news report about Viridian Gym's downfall. The sun was beginning to disappear into the horizon, making the sky a soft orange and purple color which mixed with the soft clouds while they slowly drifted through the warm air. She had been working most of the day at the Pokemon salon and it was getting around the time to close the shop for the night, so she began cleaning the floors and the windows since she had no customers at that time.

Her blonde hair, which used to be neatly on top of her head, was falling out of her lace ribbon and hanging in her face, causing her to attempt to blow it away from her eyes. Soft growl-like snores escaped from her jolteon's mouth whom was fast asleep on top of the front desk, its legs hanging off the edge and fidgeted as the fox dreamed.

Scarlett sighed out of exhaustion as she swept the fur and dirt off the tile floor, imagining how amazing a hot bath sounded at that time. Another one of her coworkers was in the back cleaning the restrooms and making sure every surface was disinfected for the next day. Her jolteon's ears twitched when the soft bell chimed as the door opened, spaced-out footsteps echoed throughout the shop as someone new came in the warmth of the room. The ring of the bell snapped the young girl from her trance and a old voice followed a few seconds after. "Hello. Do you have time for one more?"

The amber-haired girl looked up to the source of the voice and gave the guest a welcoming smile even though it was seven minutes to closing time, but the girl's tender heart could not send her away without feeling guilty. "Of course! I can help you out." The customer was an old woman who was almost five feet tall but her face really shocked Scarlett, causing her to pity her even more and making her curious as to what could have happened to cause these horrible markings.

Her left cheek had a large burn mark which stretched down to her neck, though it looked as if it was finally turning into a scar. Her right cheek had multiple scars and scratches as well, but the feature that stood out the most was her frown. Followed by this woman was by a younger boy who was probably in his early teens and seemed to be her grandson. His face read that he did not want to be there at all, but he probably did not have a choice.

The woman took a pokeball from her purse and released her pokemon on top of the front desk which startled the sleeping jolteon, causing the electric fox to automatically bare its fangs at it. The jolteon calmed once it saw that the newly released creature was not a threat and curled back up in a small spiky ball, closing its eyes and opening its mouth widely, yawning softly.

The woman's pokemon revealed itself to be a nidoran and it appeared to be covered in a thick coat of mud which was slowly dripping onto the clean wood of the desk. Trying to keep a straight face, the exhausted girl lead the filthy poison-pinned pokemon into another room so she could bathe the pitiful creature. Scarlett had seen worse and she was lucky that it was not a pokemon with long hair or she would have to stay even longer, but her tiredness made her attitude not the most pleasant in the world. .

After fifteen minutes of scrubbing, the nidoran had no trace of dirt left on its blue-colored body, and it was delighted to be rid of the filth that used to hide its bright skin from the world. The young groomer giggled at the sight of the little poison pokemon's joy plus she was also overjoyed that it was almost time for her to go home to relax for a while before she trains her own pokemon for the night. They walked back into the main room where the nidoran's owner was waiting patiently while reading one of the available magazines that was piled up on one of the tables.

"Okay Ma'am, she's all done!" Scarlett said as she approached the front desk, followed by the woman's pokemon. The woman marveled at how beautiful her nidoran looked, thanked Scarlett for her deeds, and returned her poison-typed pokemon back into its pokeball, gently putting it back inside her purse. "It will be 10.00 for the bath, please." Scarlett said while stepping to the left towards the cash register.

The elder reached into her purse again, getting the required money for the treatment. Finally, she handed the currency to Scarlett slowly, but when their hands barely touched, the woman's eyes went completely white as if her life was instantly sucked out of her, though she continued to stand. Scarlett's heart dropped as she quickly grabbed the woman's hand with both of hers as a protective reflex, her breathing beginning to speed up in fear. "Ma'am? Are you alright?" She asked hesitantly.

The room was silent for a few seconds until a blood-curling scream erupted from the old woman, her eyes still a dull white and her mouth as wide as it could go. The scream startled the younger girl, causing her to yelp in response then scrambling to get her Pokegear with one hand to call an ambulance as the other was still tightly grasping the woman's cold hand.

The grandson ran behind the lady and whispered soft words to her as if he was trying to calm her down, though his own eyes were full of worry. Before she can find the device, the elder squeezed Scarlett's hand in a rough manner, clawing it to a point until a small amount of blood was drawn as she continued to groan and scream.

"You did this!" The woman cried, facing the shocked girl. "You did this to me!" Scarlett tried to free her hand from the stranger and confusion filled her mind as she began to struggle. "W-What?! What are you talking about? Please, let go!" Her jolteon that had been awake since the scream, was growling loudly at the woman, its fur standing up as sparks of lightning escaped from each strand of hair. "I'm warning you, lady!" Scarlett yelled.

"It killed everyone! There was so much..Fire! You have that horrible beast! You killed all of them!" The woman screamed as she grasped a handful of Scarlett's golden hair, yanking her around in a mad rage, causing them to knock over a large vase which held a beautiful plant that used to stand proudly besides the front desk. The shaken groomer whimpered in pain as she was dragged around by her hair, though the desk kept her from moving around too much, but another cry of distress filled the room whenever the jolteon sunk its teeth into the deranged woman's skin, trying to save its beloved trainer.

Whenever the girl's hair was free, she took the opportunity to grab the bat that was hidden underneath the desk for self-defense because she did not want to resort to hurting the woman with her pokemon. Jolteon let go of the woman's arm but appeared to be charging up for an electric attack, for there was sparks and loud rumbles that sounded like thunder surrounding the fox's small body.

The woman fell to the floor in surprise and her screams turned into helpless cries for help as her eyes began to shift back to normal. Growls and barks came from the angered pokemon as it showed its sharp teeth extremely close to the woman's face. "No! Don't Jolteon!"

The sound of sirens could be heard outside of the shop which sounded like angel's singing a special song just for Scarlett who was still slightly startled by this experience. Her co-worker had already called the police whenever the first scream went throughout the area and had made sure that the security system was functioning properly, and the building was secure just in case the woman had an escape plan. Two policemen came into the shop, both looking rather intimidating, and eyed everyone in the room, causing an awkward silence to engulf the room.

"Officers! Please help me! This woman attacked me!"

Scarlett's eyes widened when the woman who attacked _her _uttered this out pitifully to the police and a wave of anger instantly consumed her, but she attempting to remain mature about the whole situation."I'm afraid she's lying. She attacked me" She said calmly as she showed her clawed wrist to the officers. "I even have witnesses and a camera to prove that I did nothing wrong."

The old woman who was still on the ground, then went into a fit of loud sobs which aggravated Scarlett more than she already was, hoping that the cops would not actually buy her story.

"She has a killer officers.." The woman mumbled in between sobs, her eyes turning back into the eerie white. "It killed many on my island. It will kill more." She said in a hysterical tone."

"My grandma has a history of not being fully stable, officers. There was a small accident, but she did not mean any harm. I am sorry for the misunderstanding." The grandson said while kneeling down beside his grandmother who had a sinister smile on her face as she stared at Scarlett.

One of the police officers escorted the woman and the grandson out the building for interrogation, much to Scarlett's advantage but she was still shaken by the woman's actions towards her. She nervously ran her hand up and down her arm, trying to regain her composure and her breath.

The co-worker was escorted as well by the same cop, leaving Scarlett alone with the far more frightening featured man, much to her dismay, though he was a very decent man."You're lucky to have such a great co-worker to have the guts to call. Are you alright ma'am?" The large man asked.

"Yes,Sir." She uttered out very softly, still feeling really uneasy.

"I do have records of Mrs. Elvira attacking others in the past, but the boy was right and she is mentally has been for years. I am sorry that you had to experience this tonight. Are you badly hurt?"

"No, sir. Just freaked out a bit, but I can handle these scratches on my arm." The man nodded and apologized once again for the actions of the woman, then finally left the shop, leaving Scarlett to absorb everything that just happened to her. The elder's voice echoed in her mind repeatedly, forever haunting the golden-haired girl.

She_ has_ a_ killer _in her possession?

What did the woman mean? It couldn't be. If the woman was talking about her pokemon, they were all well-trained pokemon that she had for years... but maybe.. just maybe one had a history that she did not quite know about.

She had to have answers and she knew exactly where to go to try to retrieve them. She finally closed the shop for the night after cleaning up the mess that the woman caused, and made sure that it was fit for business in the morning. As she stepped out into the night air, she breathed in, enjoying the fresh air that came to greet her, her jolteon standing loyally at her feet. Then, they both began to sprint away from the shop.

As they ran, the trainer faced her lightning fox and clapped a two times, signaling for it to jump in her arms as soon as possible. The jolteon obeyed and jumped towards its trainer, then Scarlett's arms snaked around her pokemon tightly, holding it close to her as they continued to run through Fuchsia City, getting closer to the thick woods which looked as if it was just a dark void eager to swallow them up.

The trainer reached down with a free hand, and grabbed a greatball from her belt, and threw it above her as she continued to sprint through the night, holding her jolteon whose ears were bouncing in sync with every step that she took. The greatball spun before the loud pop noise was finally heard, and a large white light exploded out, lighting up the area around them.

Before the light disappeared, Scarlett had already jumped on the back of the newly released creature, and as if it was already planned, they lifted into the air and flew straight up into the sky at a very fast speed, heading up towards the rain filled clouds that was hiding the stars and the moon from the world. Finally able to relax, the trainer and the eeveelution nuzzled their faces into the winged creature's black feathers for comfort, enjoying the tickle they gave as they danced fearlessly in the howling wind that circled them.

Hisses and low growls were heard from the feathered beast as it flew higher, flying through the thick sea of clouds. Lightning bolts were flashing all around them as they passed through them, a low rumble of thunder giving everyone chills as they passed, jolteon feeling the most pleasure from the lightning.

Finally, they were flying above the clouds, as if they were swimming in a large ocean that had no end, the coolness of the air giving the trainer hope. Scarlett gently gripped unto the beast and slowly leaned her body in the direction she wanted her dragon to go. "We're going to Saffron City, guys. I need a word with Sabrina." Her feathered dragon roared in response, rumbling the clouds that were in their presence and eagerly picked up the pace, effortlessly cutting through the air as its large six wings flapped in sync with each other. Thoughts filled and swirled within Scarlett's mind, brainstorming as to what she would ask as they headed in the direction of the "Shining Big" Saffron City.


	4. Helping Hand

_**Pokémon: Project Gray**_

_Chapter 4- Helping Hand _

_((Author's note/ Just so everyone is on the same page, this story takes place 5 years after the events of Pokemon Gold and Silver))_

A loud clap of thunder shook the ground while a cruel blast of cold air blew the leaves off the trees, causing them to flail helplessly back and forth. It was around the hour of dawn whenever Blue had arrived in Pallet Town, but his face was contorted with worry. He thought of his older sister's safety, praying that she would be alright. He gripped his pidgeot's soft feathers tighter than he realized while they zoomed past other small homes within the town that he always thought was peaceful. The gym leader's pidgeot finally reached the familiar house causing Blue to become even more uneasy, but he tried not to let his nerves get the best of him. He bravely jumped off the large bird, landing on his feet perfectly while the Pokemon hovered a few feet over the small home.

He ran unto the porch then grabbed the handle of the door, twisting it slightly, but unfortunately it was locked. "Damn it.." He muttered under his breath while he knocked roughly on the wooden door, becoming more agitated the more he knocked. "Daisy, let me in!" The gym leader yelled as he continued to pound on the door. "Sis! C'mon!" His voice gradually becoming louder. He groaned and gave up on the door, figuring that he would try the window instead. He left the porch, ran past his Pidgeot who was sitting patiently on the cobblestone walkway that lead to the house, and reached the little window that had small stained glass figures of Pokemon that barely shined since the sun was hidden behind the clouds. Umbreon, who was still sitting upon the pidgeot finally jumped off, making a soft growl noise whenever its paws met the stone path, and followed its trainer, then stood proudly at the gym leaders feet.

Blue looked in, observing for any sign of movement within his old house, but the spotless house that he always remembered was quite the opposite. Chairs was knocked over, a flowerpot appeared to be smashed, and a small fire could be seen in the kitchen. Blue darted back towards the door, knowing that he probably could not fit through the window, plus he knew his older sister would be furious if he even put a scratch on the glass pokemon figures that she created. On the second try, he was able to cause the thick door to fall in by tackling it with his side thanks to the training he received at the Fighting Dojo. Blue was not only a talented trainer and gym leader, but he was also a skilled martial artist who received intense training himself and technically he was the Champion of Kanto..even though it was only for a few minutes.

"Daisy?" He asked as he entered the house while looking at the damage that has been done. He was able to put out the fire that was caused by the gas oven that was probably left on for a long period of time, and it appeared to have spread unto a kitchen cloth that was nearby, ruining sections of the furniture. Damages to the house became the least of his worries when he heard whimpering coming from upstairs. The cries filled the young man's ears as he ran up the stairs at full speed. "Daisy, Hang on!" The noises lead him to a bedroom that was heavily decorated with white and yellow colors, but not even the brightness of the room could calm Blue. His eyes scanned the room, searching for the source of the voice, but he saw nothing. "Daisy?"

The whimpers finally proceeded, leading Blue to the closet. He opened the door and flipped the light switch on, excited to see that his sister escaped from whatever attacked.

But, this was not his sister. Disappointment swept over the gym leader as he sunk down, becoming eye level with the frightened creature, though his hand slowly formed into a fist. It was his sister's Chansey who was balled up within the closet, and it looked as if it had seen a ghost, though its face brightened considerably when it saw Blue. "Are you okay?" He asked the nervous pink pokemon. It nodded yes, but its face slowly became sad once more. "Is," he paused "Daisy gone? Did someone take her?" He gritted his teeth and lowered his head once the Chansey nodded yes again, anger consuming his body causing him to kick himself inside for not being here sooner. His Umbreon nuzzled its trainer, trying to comfort him, but Blue got back to his feet sooner than was expected. He ran out of the room, down the stairs and back into the streets of Pallet Town, and sped away towards Professor Oak's Laboratory while Chansey and Umbreon trailed slowly behind him.

He let himself in, shouting "Gramps" as soon as he entered. The two small pokemon entered as well, observing the scene. His eyes softened when he saw that his grandfather was not here and there was destruction within the vicinity, causing his anger to heighten. One of the Professor's aides, who had a similar expression to the chansey, appeared from the corner of the lab and approached the younger man. "A strange group with a Machoke, right?" Blue asked before the older man could speak.

Surprised, the aide nodded, "Yes, how did you know?"

"Call the police and tell 'em what happened, but I doubt they will be a lot of help." He replied, ignoring the helper's question and storming towards the exit. "They are messin' with the wrong guy."

The angered gym leader slammed the door to the lab closed, his Umbreon still closely following, leaving the aide and the chansey dumbfounded in the cold building. He walked past his house again, returning his large bird pokemon back into its ball and headed south towards the large body of water. Quiet splashes were heard once he stepped into it, though the area turned silent again once the water settled. With one hand stuffed in his pocket, he stood in the shallow water, soaking the bottom of his pants and shoes, and pulled another pokeball off his belt. He threw it above the sparkling coast and the snap of the ball echoed, breaking the cold silence of the morning. The materializing beast plummeted into deeper section of the water, causing a large splash that spread all around the area, even soaking Blue's hair and face, though he did not even flinch.

A large blue serpentine creature with a gaping mouth filled with razor sharp teeth emerged out of the water, its roar overpowering the howling wind and the thunder. The Gyarados allowed its trainer to climb upon its neck area, then sped through the icy water while Blue guided it. He knew that he would need help and finally did not let his pride take over his sight. He did not know where to even look for his family, and he wanted to know who those strange men were. Maybe another gym leader who was far more wise than he was knew what to do, and perhaps someone else has met the same ruthless group who is wanting to take everything away from him.

* * *

_~x_Scarlett, who was perched on the back of her black feathered beast, hovered above Saffron City, attempting to find the gym that was hidden by hundreds of other buildings, though they both were being drenched by the rain. The trainer wiped the water from her eyes, trying to remain strong in the cold rainy weather. Her dark dragon lowered in altitude so they could get a better view of the buildings, but the rain continued to intensify while they searched. Scarlett had been to Saffron a few times in the past because riding the Magnet Train used to be a necessity. Around five years ago, her pokemon did not have enough strength to travel from Johto to Kanto in one day, but after years of training, they could make it to Kanto in a matter of minutes so they had no need to go to through this large city anymore, though it made her forget most of the directions.

Finally, they came across a very uniquely designed building, which they figured was the gym. Scarlett's dragon let her off its back gently once they landed smoothly on the ground, then hissed quietly as its six wings stretched out far into the air, enjoying the feeling of the cold rain on its feathers. The golden-haired girl ran into the patio of the building, happy to finally get out the rain. The cold was one of her most hated things. She twisted most of the water out of her hair but her Jolteon shook its body very close to where she was standing, spraying water everywhere, soaking Scarlett once again. "Heeey!" The Jolteon snickered in response as it nuzzled its damp face against its trainer's leg.

_'She thinks she is clever, huh?'_ Scarlett thought as she squeezed the remaining water out of her clothes unto the Jolteon's head, smiling widely. The yellow fox shook the water out of its fur once again and looked up at its owner with its large violet eyes, though a smile formed on its furry face. Scarlett got on her knees, giggling softly as the Jolteon jumped into her arms and rubbed against her face. She embraced her loyal pokemon, giving the fox a few scratches behind its ears before standing up again. Then, she walked to the edge of the patio, extending her arm into the downpour, and her cold fingers were soon greeted with a scaly noise which felt surprisingly warm. She ran her hand over the creature's smooth muzzle, thanking it for the ride there, and returned it back into its Greatball so the dragon would be out of the rain.

"Okay, let's do this." She said as she reached for the handle of the door. She let herself in and was instantly comforted by the warmth of the building. There was many arches and doorways along the lengthy corridor which was lit up with odd colored torches attached to the walls, giving the area a greenish glow. She looked down when a teal light snaked across the floor, then eventually disappeared until the next light followed the same path.

Intrigued by the style of the gym, Scarlett toured the building, almost forgetting the reason why she even came. Her amusement was interrupted once she stepped on a platform that gave her body an electrifying sensation while a quick flash of light blinded her, causing her to close her eyes in response. Once she opened her rose-colored eyes, she was shocked to find that she was in a completely different room except this room had no windows or doors. As she stepped away from the platform, she canceled out the possibility that this was a trap, because she knew all gyms tested people and pokemon in its own unique way, whether it be a test of strength or a test of the mind. Either way, anyone who masters the assessment by reaching the gym leader increases their mental and physical durability.

Another light flashed as her jolteon appeared upon the same platform, tilting its head while looking around the room. There was two more platforms on the opposite side of the room in each corner. Scarlett walked towards one of them, hoping the one she chose would bring her closer to the end of the maze. Before she could take a step, yet another light startled her causing her to automatically walk backwards while shielding her eyes with her hands. "Really?!" She said, becoming annoyed that she was being blinded so many times in such a short time. She opened her eyes, to see a young woman standing in front of her. She had long grayish-blue hair that a flipped out hairstyle, though a few shorter strands hugged her face, and her piercing eyes caused Scarlett to get chills just from being in her presence. Scarlett recognized her though, because she had groomed her pokemon in the past. "Follow me." She commanded softly as she stepped on the platform once more, disappearing again.

Scarlett obeyed the girl, stepping on the same platform, followed by her loyal fox of electricity. The darkness of the rooms caused her to remember the words of the old woman. The image of her burned face was branded into her mind. Every time she blinked, she would see her eyes staring right into her soul. They trailed behind the older girl as they went from room to room; platform to platform until they finally reached the largest room. The floor would light up around their feet every time they took a step, plus the cracks of the tile continued to glow with the same teal light that was in every room before, slithering all across the darkened room. Once they were all in the middle of the room, the older woman finally faced Scarlett, her expression had not changed at all. "I knew you would come today," She started, "but you really do not have much time. Ask your questions quickly."

"Well, I just feel like there is something wrong, I-I mean, first the Celadon Game Corner gets attacked, then the Viridian Gym is completely destroyed, and on top of that, the gym leader from_ my_ town has even disappeared; Morty of Ecruteak City. A woman came into the salon and threatened me, telling me that I had a..._killer_. Sabrina, can you tell me if any of my Pokemon are linked to these attacks?" Scarlett asked, her words filled with hesitation.

Sabrina looked at her in silence for a moment, making the blonde trainer nervous. "None of the members in your party caused any of the attacks that happened in the past weeks."

Scarlett sighed in relief.

"But one did cause a horrible accident five years ago." The psychic stated.

The younger girl frowned. She tried to believe it, but she just couldn't. Her pokemon seemed so gentle, so trustworthy, so loyal.. "What happened? What about the other accidents? Is there more coming? Is there anything we can do to prevent what will happen?"

The psychic sighed as she was being buried with questions, but replied quietly, remaining patient. "Scarlett, I have a gift to sense certain things, but I am no god. I do not have the answers for everything." The golden-haired girl lowered her head in disappointment, but at least she had a clue to learn more about the disaster that happened five years ago. She had to have answers because she felt partly responsible. Water continued to drip from the girl's clothes and hair, leaving a small puddle underneath her feet since she was still drenched because of the downfall. "Well, can you at least tell me where the woman who attacked me lives?" Sabrina walked to a large chair that was in the very back of the gym room, where she probably waited for opponents to challenge her. She picked up a purple bag that was laying on the throne, placing the strap on her shoulder, then power-walked towards the single teleporting platform in the opposite corner. "We got to go."

Confused, Scarlett slowly followed and wondered why they just could not speak in here. "We got to go NOW. Hurry!" The telepath stated loudly before she stepped onto the special tile. Scarlett scooped her jolteon in her arms and sprinted towards the platform, finally stepping on it and disappearing from the large teal room.

Back in the entry of the psychic gym, the two young women were face to face with a uniformed man who was very large in height and had a huge grin stretched across his face, showing off his white teeth. Once both of Scarlett's feet was off of the platform, sparks of electricity filled the glass tile, causing its light to intensify and eventually it was completely destroyed, not being able to handle such a high voltage. The teal lights that used to lead to the platform slowly faded away as well. "You guys are very lucky." The man said as he took off his sunglasses.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed as she put the pieces together. "You tried trapping us in there?" She yelled, knowing that there would be no way out without the platforms.

"Sabrina; you have been ignoring everyone's calls and pleas. I'm sure you do not want to lose your pokemon and your gym. You need to come with me." The man said completely ignoring Scarlett's presence.

"I will not. Your intentions may seem good for some people, Surge, but I feel as if they will result in something horrible." Sabrina stated, still sounding really calm.

Three more men entered the building, all with uniforms as well, then stood in a line behind the man called Surge, their eyes being shielded by their hats. "The country calls for all gym leaders to help this region for the sake of the citizens. I am a lieutenant of this region so you better respect me. I am the law. You're coming with me." Surge said, still smiling while taking out a pokeball. Scarlett was completely confused by his words, but she figured that Sabrina had done a crime, so perhaps it would be best if she just left. The gray-haired girl pulled a pokeball out of her purple bag, her lips forming a smile as the white light flew out the ball, materializing a two legged figure with a white face and a teal colored head crest, its red eyes shining with bravery. Red horn like protrusions stuck out of its back and chest, blades extending from its elbows, and its torso was thin and colored in a balance of green and white. The newly released pokemon punched through the air a few times before slightly kneeling down, resting its knee on the ground, waiting for its trainers orders.

Scarlett did not know who she should fight along side, or if she should even interfere at all. She would leave, but the exit was being blocked by the other three men and they did not look too friendly. Lt. Surge released his Raichu from its pokeball and crossed his arms proudly as another one of the other uniformed person released a creature of his own. A Crobat.

This creature had a purple body with four wings that had greenish-blue undersides sprouting from its back. "Last chance, Sabrina. Come with us and then there will be no problems."

Sabrina closed her eyes as she smiled once more, looking back up at the blonde lieutenant, "I'm afraid that we are going to have problems then. Gallade, Stone Edge." She said softly. Her Pokemon's eyes glowed as it slammed its hands on the ground, filling the ground with its power, the others feeling rumbling from underneath their feet. Sharp rocks then shot up from the ground, leaving small holes in the tiles below, and flew directly at the uniformed men's Raichu and Crobat, then instantly making contact.

"Get up! Focus Punch" Surge yelled at his electric mouse. Once Raichu recovered, its paw lit up as it ran towards the Gallade, growling lowly as it charged up its punch.

"Dodge it, then use Psycho Cut on the Crobat." the psychic woman calmly stated.

Using its brilliant acrobatics, the psychic fighter easily dodged the Raichu's punch, then once in the air, its eyes began to glow a pinkish color as it waved its arms in the air rapidly in a manner that is reminiscent of "Tai-chi." Blades of energy formed around the Gallade, then fired at the purple bat pokemon.

"Quick Attack, then Wing Attack!" The owner of the Crobat finally shouted, the voice revealing that this uniformed person was a female. Using Quick Attack, the bat was able to dodge the psychic attack, and as it darted by, its wings gained a white aura, lighting up the room ever so slightly. Its powered up wings hit the Gallade; two wings hitting its stomach and the other two hitting its head, causing Sabrina's Pokemon to cry out and hit the floor.

"Use Thunder Wave, Raichu!" Three rings of electricity floated over to the stunned Gallade, lighting up its body once they made contact. Sparks covered the psychic type's body as it tried to stand up, but it appeared to move slower than it was before.

"Use Psycho Cut again!" Sabrina yelled at her pokemon while stepping an inch closer to it.

"Signal Beam!" Lt. Surge shouted to his companion; confidence filled his voice. Due to the effects of the Thunder Wave, the Gallade's movements were much too slow to summon up the attack before the Raichu's beam of light completely knocked it off its feet. Attempting to recover, Sabrina's pokemon struggled to get to its feet. Whimpers could be heard from its trembling mouth. The psychic girl knew that the Gallade was not going to stand a chance against Surge's pokemon or even the Crobat, so she lifted its pokeball, preparing to return it. "Never back down from a fight!" The lieutenant yelled as he gave his pokemon a signal. The Raichu sprinted to Sabrina on all four of its legs and once it reached her, it knocked the pokeball out of her hand, using another Focus Punch. The psychic gym leader cried out and grasped her hand with the other, holding it close to her chest while she backed up in pain.

"Poison Fang!" Yelled the uniformed female. Her pokemon's fangs instantly filled with venom, then stuck its glowing purple fangs in the Gallade's shoulder.

"Get it off of you! Use Close Combat!" Sabrina barely croaked out. The dual-typed pokemon nodded as it ran against the wall, slamming the Crobat into the stone multiple times before it finally let go. Then its fists pounded into the purple bat pokemon's face and stomach, then sent it flying with a high-jump kick, but they haven't won yet. The Gallade was exhausted and weak. It fell to its knees while its breathing was labored and hoarse. The Raichu and the recovered Crobat slowly approached the fallen Gallade with maniacal grins on their faces. "Thunder Wave." Lt. Surge commanded in the background. The owner of the Crobat snapped at her leader, telling him that the Gallade was already paralyzed, but the expression on his face did not change. The electric-type pokemon jumped over the Gallade completely, and sent out three more pulses of electricity directly at the wounded gym leader. Sabrina sunk to her knees, feeling the attack take its toll on her while it sucked out the remaining energy away from her. Sparks covered her body every time she tried to move. Lt. Surge slowly approached her with his hands behind his back, chuckling to himself since he knew that he had won. He lifted her up off the ground by her wounded wrist until she was eye level with him and softly said, "This region can do without people who refuse to help it." Sabrina's eyes filled with fear as she looked at him, not being able to predict what he would do next. Whenever she tried the move, the Crobat would hit her in the stomach with its wing, knocking the wind out of her. "That's enough. I think she's all out of fight." He said putting his sunglasses back on.

Scarlett hesitated as she watched. Even if she was a criminal, no one deserves that sort of treatment. She gritted her teeth as she clenched her eyes closed, pointing at one of the fighter's creatures. "Wild Charge, Jolteon!" Her electric fox lifted its paw, taking off at a very high speed, its entire body being engulfed in a brilliant gold as lightning sparked out the aura that surrounded the small creature. Scarlett heard the crackling lightning, the cry of the pokemon that was hit, the yell of the man, and the sound of something hitting the wall, then the floor. When she opened her eyes, she saw the Crobat on the ground, twitching as electricity ran through its body. Lt. Surge had let go of Sabrina, but she was immobile on the floor too. The other two uniformed people who was blocking the door pulled their own pokeballs out in response, both planning to attack Sabrina and Scarlett along with the others.

"Bad idea, kid. Thunderbolt, Raichu!" Surge commanded his pokemon while he slowly recovered from the earlier attack. The electric mouse's yellow cheeks sparked as it charged up, then sent a bolt of lightning at Scarlett.

"Block it Jolteon!" Scarlett's spiky fox pokemon jumped in front of her and completely absorbed the Raichu's attack, filling it with even more energy and power. "Double Kick!" The fox spun in the air, flipping behind Surge's pokemon, then lifted itself up with its front paws, kicking the other electric creature right in the middle of its back with both of its hind-legs. Raichu was pushed forwards, then landed on its stomach as it tried to regain its breath. Scarlett took this opportunity to run over to the fallen Sabrina. "Are you alright?" She asked, placing a hand on her back.

"I can't move.." mumbled the psychic. Scarlett's nerves were off the wall. She did not want to be there at all, but she felt like she had to help the gym leader somehow. The blonde lowered down and wrapped Sabrina's arm around her shoulder, then then attempted to stand, though the psychic was heavier than she looked.

Scarlett pulled the Greatball off her belt with her free hand, summoning her large feathered beast from its captivity. The dragon lowered its body to the floor, allowing the trainers easy access to its back. The other two uniformed men finally released their pokemon: a Golem and a Cloyster. "Don't let these criminals escape!" commanded Lt. Surge who now had an angry expression. The Cloyster fired an Icebeam towards the dragon, almost freezing its six wings solid, while the Golem fired a shower of rocks upon the already struggling girls. The injured Gallade was able to destroy some of the larger rocks to hinder them from doing fatal damages to Sabrina and Scarlett, but it was far too slow to protect them from every rock. A few of the smaller stones, flew across their skin, making multiple cuts on their bodies.

"Use Hyper Voice!" screamed Scarlett as she covered her ears, burying her face into her dragon's black feathers. The dark dragon opened its mouth widely, exposing its razor sharp teeth that was aligned perfectly within its mouth, and let out an intense screeching roar that caused the entire building to shake. The girl's enemies screamed as they covered their ears, some hurling over or curling up in a ball.

Sabrina used her psychic skills to completely block out the sound and telepathically shared this with her Gallade, Scarlett, and Jolteon, though she returned her Gallade to its pokeball soon after. Once the roar had subsided, Scarlett ordered her pokemon to fly away as quickly as it could, but the Cloyster had fired another Ice beam at the dragon, causing it to fall to the ground again. The blonde looked behind her, seeing all the enemy pokemon charging up for their next attacks. Raichu was surrounded by huge sparks of electricity, the Crobat's fangs were glowing a light purple, rocks that were created by the Golem hovered all around them, and a light blue orb of ice formed in front of the Cloyster, illuminating its face. The bright colors of the elemental attacks reflected in Scarlett's terrified eyes until she closed them, bracing herself for what was to come. Sensing how much danger they were in, Sabrina's eyes began to glow an ominous blue color as she grasped the dragon's feathers tightly. She held onto Scarlett's hand with her injured one then mumbled something that was inaudible to everyone in the room. In a matter of seconds, the dragon-typed pokemon, jolteon, and the injured girls completely disappeared from the gym.

When the blonde trainer opened her eyes, she was overjoyed to see the brightness of the sky, but her thoughts were interrupted once she felt herself plummeting down. Sabrina used her gift to teleport them away from the attackers, but instead they were hundreds of feet in the air and what was worse, Scarlett's pokemon's wings were frozen. Scarlett screamed loudly as she clung to her dragon's neck tightly as they fell from the sky. Her jolteon hid underneath its trainer's body, trying not to be blown away. Sabrina was still holding on to the golden-haired girl's hand, but she soon lost her grip whenever she passed out due to using so much energy to teleport. Scarlett managed to catch her, but the force of the wind in her face and the fear of falling to their deaths made it harder for her to hold her up. "Fly! Please! Fly!" she screamed as she pulled Sabrina closer to her. The dragon's six feathered wings attempted to flap, but the ice hindered them from moving at all. It roared loudly,trying over and over again, trying to save them from their doom while they twisted through the air.

In mid-flip, the feathered dragon fired a pale purple cyclone of fire from its mouth at its wings, thawing out the ice that imprisoned them. With one single flap, the dragon leveled itself and stopped them from falling, saving them from a horrible death. They were past Saffron City but they were still really close by. Scarlett's pokemon slowed down once it knew they were safe and flew calmly through the sky, the sunlight warming its body.

Scarlett slowly opened her eyes and hugged her jolteon tightly after placing Sabrina in a comfortable spot on her dark creature. Thankful to be alive, she inhaled the air while a small smile formed on her face. Her smile disappeared when she heard the psychic girl stir. "What was all that about? You almost got me killed!" Scarlett growled, looking back at the psychic gym leader.

"Nothing at all."

"You're lying." the blonde said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Believe what you want to believe, but I just refuse to be apart of whatever they are trying to form." the psychic said calmly. "But, you are going to have to help me." she added.

"I don't think so!" Scarlett said with a harsh bite to her words.

"You're gonna have to. I am hurt. You can't let me die. They know who you are now since you helped me. We need to stay together for safety's sake. I also know where the woman who attacked you lives. Without me, you'll spend years trying to find her." The gym leader stated while whimpering in pain.

Scarlett knew she would feel extremely guilty if she just left her somewhere. Who knows what would happen to her. She sighed, knowing she had no choice. "Fine.. Just tell me where to find the old lady and we will get you to a hospital"

"We can' will be waiting for us there." the psychic said with her eyes closed. "Do you know the location of Lavender Town?" she added.

"I have heard of it, but I've never been there." Scarlett said as she ran her fingers through her large creature's black feathers, but she was slowly getting a headache. What has she gotten herself into?

"Just keep flying east. It is just to the right. It should be just a ten minute flight, but maybe twenty with this speed." The dragon hissed at the psychic's words but continued to fly at the same speed. Scarlett giggled as she patted down her dragon's feathers, amused that such a ferocious beast was even bothered with Sabrina's words. The three-headed dragon purred as its fuchsia flower-like collar twisted in the air, its black tuft on the tip of its long tail slowly swaying in the wind. Hydra's black feathers continued their dance within the gust. "Your Hydreigon is very beautiful. Its looks well taken care of." Sabrina said as she patted the dragon gently, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you. I've had him for a really long time. He was my second pokemon. I nicknamed him "Hydra" because when I was a kid, I could not pronounce "hydreigon" properly." Scarlett responded with a laugh, trying to get comfortable.

"It looks different from the others that I have seen when I battled them in tournaments. This Hydreigon appears bigger than the others too." Sabrina said as she scanned the feathered beast. She was right. The figure of the dark dragons that everyone knows and has seen is the ones with the common round-shaped body and small feet. Scarlett's pokemon has a much more slender body compared with the common hydreigon, and its legs were longer allowing it to actually run, rather than just flying all the time. Hydra's six wings were not as thin and small as the other "common" dark dragons.

"Hydra is just another species of hydreigon. He has longer legs and wings since this kind of species hunts in both the sky, water, and the land, rather than just the sky. They use their wings for swimming too, making their wings more powerful and long so they can chase their prey faster, ya know? It is just how evolution goes throughout the years." She said, "There is actually a lot more just like him, and I was lucky come across him!" the groomer said, letting her ego get in the way.

"I am surprised how tamed he is. They are normally very violent and destructive pokemon." Sabrina added.

"He used to be. Since he was blind all his life until he evolved, he got really spooked one day and he caused..." Scarlett trailed off as she thought back whenever her pokemon went into a rage after it saw light for the very first time whenever it evolved into the feathered beast that she knows today. It damaged buildings and scared a large amount of people before Scarlett was able to catch it again and calm it. Maybe Hydra was the pokemon that hurt the old woman.. But was it possible that it claimed a few lives as well?


	5. Assist

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 5: "Assist"_

The cruel rains were finally beginning to calm as Blue surfed upon his Gyarados across the water's surface that appeared to be gray in color due to the gloominess of the colorless sky. Ice cold water dripped from the Viridian gym leader's bangs, a few droplets falling into his piercing eyes that were full of determination. Soft growls escaped from the blue serpent's gaping mouth as it swarm effortlessly through the waves which were stirring from the wind. After ten minutes of traveling through the water, they began to approach an island. The mere sight of it caused Blue to smirk. Once upon the shore, the young man jumped from his pokemon's back, and landed unto the white sand, a few grains making its way into his shoes.

He removed a pokeball from his belt, raising it up a few inches away from his chest. The trainer patiently watched as the blue beast materialized into a red light, and flew right back inside the ball. Returning the ball to a clip on his belt, he started to sprint towards the middle of the island, his Umbreon very close behind. It was a large island that consisted of only a few trees and only a few patches of grass, but most of the ground was covered in sand and stone. A gigantic volcano that could almost be seen from Pallet Town, stood majestically as if it was watching over the quiet environment. Though the place seemed bare, Blue had a fondness for Cinnabar Island, for it was the place he loved to come to vent or just relax.

"Okay. Where are ya old man?" He mumbled in-between breaths as he scanned the area. He ran for about a half a mile until he reached a small Pokemon Center. He ran into the building, hoping to find who he was looking for. He let out a growl-like sigh and rolled his eyes, disappointed that his little hunch was wrong. A nurse that was sitting patiently behind the front desk of the clinic stood up as a small smile appeared on her face.

"Hello again, Blue. What brings you to Cinnabar again, honey?" The nurse asked while approaching him slowly. She rarely has patients so she was happy to finally have some company.

"Lookin' for Blaine. I figured since it was cold and raining that he would have enough sense to come here." Blue said as he tried to regain his breath.

"With all the firepower that he has, I'm sure that he would not get cold." The woman said while giggling.

"Yeah, I guess." The annoyed gym leader said while making circular motions on the tile floor with his foot, then sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Is there something wrong?" Asked the nurse.

"Nahh.." Blue mumbled while turning towards the door, not wanting to get into much detail with the Pokemon Center nurse. "I gotta run. See ya." He said while walking towards the door, and putting up the hood of his jacket over his head.

"Bye dear." Confusion filled the woman's voice, but she shrugged it off and sat back down at the front desk..

Once Blue left the warmth of the pokemon clinic, he began to run once more towards the edge of the island once again, slightly aggravated that he had wasted too much time. Once on the shore, he summoned his Gyarados once more, and jumped on its back, automatically ordering it to head in the eastern direction. The cold rain made the gym leader's face numb, but he tried to ignore the discomfort of the icy winds and water. Minutes later, they had arrived at another island which was to the east of the larger Cinnabar Island. The gym leader and Umbreon jumped from his beast's back, and ran towards a cave which appeared ominous in the angry wind. A few waves were crashing into the shore and even against the sides of the cave. Blue left his Gyarados in the water since it appeared to be enjoying the water, and even the weather. The last thing he heard before he entered the cave was the large splash of his water pokemon diving into the sea.

New sounds and smells filled his senses as he walked deeper into the island cave. Battle cries filled the area and warmth soon greeted his skin, then he found himself within the main area of the cave.

"Hydro Pump, Seaking!" Echoed an unfamiliar voice.

"Dodge it Magmar, and use Confuse Ray!" An older voice yelled almost overpowering the loud sound of water. The two-legged creature bellowed lowly in response to its trainer as it sent a sparkling ray of light towards the large horned fish pokemon, the light reflecting off its shackles around its legs and neck. It instantly hit the Seaking, causing it to shake its head in confusion, but it tried to remain determined while it waited for its next orders.

Blue stood on the sidelines watching the battle between a young boy and man who he recognized as the Cinnabar Gym Leader Blaine, but impatience stirred within him making him wish that he could just interrupt them. Umbreon made a quiet noise as it shook the water out of its fur, putting out a few embers that were nearby.

"Hang in there, Seaking! Horn Drill!" The young battler ordered. The large fish launched itself forward by pushing off the ground with its fins. Its horn upon its head began spinning rapidly while it lunged at the fire pokemon, creating a loud buzzing sound. The water pokemon's eyes were still clouded, but its speed did not falter.

"Watch it!" Screamed the trainer as he watched his pokemon get ready for its attack.

The older man's Magmar appeared to smirk as a large bang sounded throughout the cave when the Seaking hit a very large rock formation that was growing from the floor. The stalagmite collapsed right at impact and shook the entire area when it crumbled unto the ground. The large fish pokemon pushed the rocks off of its body and slowly made its way towards the Magmar, attempting to shake off its confusion.

"Thunderpunch." Ordered the older man while he twirled his mustache around his index finger. The red and yellow bipedal monster darted towards the confused fish pokemon, its hand forming a fist while sparks of electricity danced around it, illuminating the area around it. Magmar's fist made direct contact with the Seaking's stomach, sending it up into the air while the entire fish's body lit up with bright lightning. Once the attack had subsided, the water pokemon hit the ground once more, but the electric attack had taken away the rest of its strength.

The younger trainer groaned as he returned his defeated pokemon back into its pokeball.

"You battled well, kiddo! Come back again!" The old man said with a grin on his face.

The trainer nodded and made his way towards the exit of the cave. Disappointment could easily be seen on his face since he had lost to the fire gym leader. The boy walked past Blue, who had been spectating the battle the entire time, and tried not to make eye contact with the young gym leader, though embarrassment slowly made his cheeks red. Blue ignored the kid and walked towards the old man who was still standing in the middle of the cave.

"Old man! I got some questions." The Viridian gym leader stated as he walked.

"Hello, Blue. What happened to a formal greeting?" The older man asked; a smile still on his face.

"I got some pro-" Blue started, but was cut off with a light chuckle from old fire master.

"Quiz time! What pokemon can cast a sinister light from its bright red eyes to gain total control over its foe's mind? These creatures are so highly intelligent that they can understand human speech." The man asked while leaning on his cane.

"Blaine, I ain't got time for thi-" Blue was cut off once again by the man.

"Answer the question." The man snickered.

"But.."

"Just answer it"

Knowing that Blaine would not stop, Blue gave in and attempted to answer the question. "Gengar?" The younger gym leader asked.

Blaine's smile widened, but before he could respond, Blue quickly made another response. "Wait, no! It's Ninetails."

The older fire gym leader chuckled once again. "Still bright as always, Blue. Getting rusty though! You used to answer those questions right away" He said in a joking tone.

"Has a group of uniformed men confronted you? Anything unusual going on?" Blue asked.

"The only visitors I have had was from a few challengers. I did receive a letter stating that I needed to contribute to the government in order to regain peace within the region. It was concerning the disaster at the Celadon Game Corner." The old man replied while making circular movements with his cane. He studied Blue's facial expressions carefully, and knew right away that he was worried about something. Distress and fear was written all over Blue's face even though he tried his hardest to hide it with determined eyes and his egotistical grin.

Blaine closed his eyes for a moment while slightly lowering his head, then looked back at the younger man. "Has something happened? Tell me everything you know."

* * *

X~ Thoughts and negativity swirled within Scarlett's head. She had so many questions. The blonde-headed girl was fearful that her Hydreigon might have taken away innocent lives, but she just could not accept it. Hydra was such a loyal pokemon; a close a friend. If it did cause the murders that the old woman was speaking of, she knew it did not intend to.

_'He was afraid. He did not want to kill people. It was an accident!'_Scarlett thought while tightly closing her eyes. Sabrina watched her, sensing the darkness that was lingering around the girl. She reached to touch her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but the young groomer just pushed her hand away, not wanting to be touched. Her jolteon sat in her lap, frequently looking up at its trainer with worry in its eyes, then licked a few of the cuts on her hands that were caused by the Golem's rock attacks. They flew in silence for another few minutes until Sabrina finally spoke.

"We have arrived in Lavender Town."

"Find a place to land, Hydra." Scarlett ordered her feathered dark dragon. A quiet hiss was heard from the Hydreigon as it began to fly downwards, making its way through the clouds and then to the top of a really tall building. Scarlett stared at the large concrete building, seeing herself in the reflection of the windows as they flew down the side. Finally, they had reached the ground. With her Jolteon in her arms, the golden-haired girl slid down her dragon's back until her feet were on the purple hued concrete. She waited on Sabrina to follow, but when she saw that she was still struggling to move her legs, she groaned lowly, realizing that she was still paralyzed from Lt. Surge's attacks. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Scarlett said as Jolteon jumped from her arms and then stood by her side. Then, she started to walk towards the buildings.

"That's a bad idea, Scarlett. We do not know who may be watching." Sabrina said as she laid on Hydra's back. A few residents of the town who were outside were intrigued by the Hydreigon, as most of them did not even know that this pokemon even existed. A few people were also afraid of it, and ordered their children to go inside. The feathered dragon lifted its head high and sniffed the air for a moment or two to get more familiar with the area.

Followed by the electric fox, Scarlett walked until she arrived in front of a small building that stood next to the Pokemon Center of Lavender Town. "We really need supplies, don't we?" Scarlett mumbled as she walked into the store, then greeted the cashier. She picked up a small shopping basket, then browsed through the items, picking a few that she was interested in like potions, first-aid items, repels, and food. Once her basket was full, she went to the checkout lane and paid for her items. The groomer made her way out of the store, then towards Hydra and the psychic who was resting on the large dark dragon's back.

"Lay down, please." She quietly said to her dragon. The three-headed creature did as she wished and lowered down to the ground so its trainer can have easier access to its back. She climbed aboard once again holding a large grocery bag which contained her items. She sat beside the injured gym leader and transferred most of her new things to her travel bag. "Okay, let's get cleaned up." Scarlett said with a water bottle and bandages in her hands.

Jolteon remained on the ground, and frolicked around Hydra's nose, zapping it a few times in a playful manner. The dark pokemon got annoyed with the eeveelution after the fifth zap, then softly clenched the fox's fringe of spiky fur on its rear-side with its teeth. The smaller creature pawed at the dragon's nose, attempting to make the winged beast let go, but Hydra's other two heads just stuck their tongues out at the electric pokemon. Jolteon laid down once it knew it could not move or electrocute Hydra while its trainer and Sabrina were aboard and growled to itself in a pouting gesture.

"I got a few Parlyz Heals, but since you're not a pokemon, we have to use a more than one on you just to see some results. We'll see what we can do about your wrist too." Scarlett said as she shook the medicine bottle after she removed the plastic from the top of the sprayer. With the golden-haired groomer's assistance, Sabrina removed her boots and pulled up her black tights to reveal her legs that appeared to be bruised and cut up because of the rock attack. They cleaned up the scratches and sprayed two bottles of the Parlyz Heal medicine on the psychic's legs. Scarlett also gave her a Cheri Berry just to be safe as well. The psychic gym leader's wrist wasn't broken much to their advantage, but since it was still bruised, Scarlett wrapped it up with medical Sabrina's wounds were cleaned and bandaged, Scarlett began cleaning her own cuts. When she finished medicating herself, she put all the trash in the grocery bag and threw it above Hydra's head, calling its name. The Hydreigon opened its mouth, freeing Jolteon, then blew out a small amount of fire at the bag, incinerating it once it hit.

"Do you have any idea who those people were back there?" Scarlett asked while adjusting herself so that her legs dangled off the edge of the dragon's body.

"Lt. Surge is the gym leader of Vermilion City, but I did not recognize any of the others." Sabrina replied.

"He was a gym leader? Since when did gym leaders go around and attack people?" Scarlett looked around the area until a boy who just left the Pokemon Center caught her attention. "Isn't that...?" She trailed off while she stared at the kid's face, trying to search her mind as to why she recognized him. Whenever the boy began walking towards the houses which were south of the main area of Lavender Town, the blonde trainer jumped off of Hydra and darted after him once she realized the kid was the one who had accompanied the woman who attacked her back at the groomer shop in Fuchsia City.

"Hey, wait up!" Yelled Scarlett while she tried catching up to him. The confused boy turned his head in response, but stopped in his tracks and waited for the girl to catch up to him. After he studied her face for a few seconds, he recognized her and felt rather uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to speak with your grandmother." The girl said in-between breaths while the wind blew her messy golden hair into her face.

"That's not a good idea. She can't be around you or she'll go crazy again!" He said turning away from the tired trainer and resuming his walk back to his home.

"Please wait! I just need to ask her something!" Scarlett's voice was gradually becoming louder.

"Just leave me and my family alone!" The boy's walking turned into a sprint, but Scarlett was not going to let him get away. She ran after the kid, easily catching up to him once again and grabbed his arm.

"Just wait a minute! It's not like I'm going to hurt her!" She said through gritted teeth.

"She might hurt_ you_though!"

"I'll let go if you can just help me, please. Do you know what happened to her?" Scarlett said while loosening her grip on his arm.

"I don't know what happened. I just know that she was in an accident."

"You really don't know anything? Anything at all?" She was becoming discouraged and she released his arm.

"All I know is that she hasn't lived in Lavender Town all of her life. She had to move here. She used to live on Cinnabar Island. Maybe you can ask around there, but that is all I know." The boy replied.

"Cinnabar Island? Alright then. I'll have to ask around then. Sorry for chasing you around like that and thank you for the info." Scarlett said as she turned around and headed back to Sabrina and Hydra. The boy nodded and went on his way, though he looked back a few times hoping that the girl wasn't behind him again.

"Alright guys. We're heading to Cinnabar Island!" Scarlett said while motioning her Jolteon to get back on the dragon. Sabrina did not question her motives and nodded in response, though her expression seemed nervous. She looked behind her as if she heard something coming, but Scarlett did not see anything.

Scarlett shrugged and climbed unto Hydra's back. The dark feathered dragon stretched its large six wings and in one flap, they were off the ground. Once in the sky, the blonde's lips formed into a large smile. "Now where is Cinnabar again?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Head south and once we make it to the ocean, go east. There is a large volcano on the island, so you can see it from miles away."

"Thank you, Sabrina. Let's go, Hydra!" Scarlett said while running her fingers through the Hydreigon's black neck feathers and gripped them gently, then leaned in the direction that she wanted to go. The three-headed dragon sped through the air, growling quietly. The light sound of sirens were heard, but sound eventually faded since they had gotten too far away from the small town.

* * *

X~ A few police cars had parked next to the PokeMart within Lavender Town. The cashier walked out of the store when he heard the sirens and looked up into the sky slightly disappointed.

"I'm afraid you just missed them." The cashier of the mart said as a few policemen stepped out of their vehicles.

"We will search around to see if they left any information or belongs behind. Thank you for your call, sir."

* * *

X~ Around twenty minutes of flying, Scarlett and the others had finally reached Cinnabar Island. "I see no homes or buildings. How are we going to ask around if there is no one here?" The young trainer asked, disappointment filling her voice.

"I could have told you that Cinnabar Island has been empty for years now." Sabrina said with her eyes closed.

"Then, why didn't you?" Scarlett snapped. "Oh, I think I see a Pokemon Center!" They flew towards it, then landed in front of the center's doors while Hydra's feet buried into the sand. Sabrina thought it would be okay for them to heal their pokemon there since Cinnabar Island was pretty isolated from the rest of Kanto and now that her legs were no longer paralyzed, she jumped from Hydra's back and into the sand. Scarlett and Jolteon did the same, then the blonde trainer returned her dark dragon back into its pokeball. They walked in and greeted the nurse politely, then Scarlett returned her Jolteon back into its ball as well so it would be easier for the woman to heal it. The groomer and the psychic gym leader gave her their pokemon within their pokeballs waited patiently until the nurse returned them back to full health.

"Thank you for waiting! Your pokemon are fighting fit!"

"Thank you so much." Scarlett said with a smile as she released Jolteon from its ball once again. "It's so empty here. Do you get lonely?" The sound of door opening again caused the electric fox's ears to twitch, though Scarlett ignored it since she was conversing with the nurse. Sabrina turned towards the door, and a tiny grin appeared on her face as she slowly approached the people who had just walked in.

"Hello, gentlemen." The psychic said to the two men still smiling. Once Scarlett and the nurse were finished conversing she turned towards the door and slowly walked to Sabrina's side, but her eyes narrowed once they locked onto one of the men's glare. He had a cold look which caused her to feel extremely uneasy and suspicious of both of them.

Sabrina placed her hand on the blonde trainer's back and slightly pushed her forward. "Scarlett, let me introduce you to Blaine; gym leader of Cinnabar Island, and Blue; gym leader of Viridian City."


	6. Leer

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 6: Leer_

An uncomfortable silence filled the center, making all four people begin to feel tense. Scarlett tilted her head in both confusion and amusement, but she slowly walked backwards since she also felt fear. "More gym leaders? What if they are like that Lt. Surge and his buddies who attacked us?" The blonde trainer snapped. Jolteon felt her anxiety and began growling at the two male gym leaders, a few sparks emanating from its body. The Viridian gym leader's Umbreon began growling in response while it stepped towards the electric fox, warning Jolteon that it would attack if it tried to harm Blue or Blaine..

_'Has Sabrina lead me into a trap?' _Was the only thought that echoed within Scarlett's mind. The older man chuckled and took a few steps towards the frightened young trainer.

"No need to be afraid. We won't bite! Nice to meet you!" The man said while twirling his mustache with his finger and adjusting his tinted glasses with another.

"I haven't lead you into a trap, Scarlett. I know that we can trust these two." Sabrina said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Stay out of my head." The blonde mumbled. Scarlett felt embarrassed that she had yelled at the gym leaders and she was ashamed that she had been acting so rudely, but she could not get the courage to apologize about her behavior. As much as she wanted to, she just could not trust any of these people, but she felt as if she needed them now.

"You said something about Lt. Surge? What happened?" Blue asked showing a large amount of interest.

"Him and a few others came into the Saffron Gym trying to get Sabrina to come with them. They were in uniforms, so I thought they were apart of the military or something, but they actually tried to hurt us."

Blue's hand formed into a fist and clenched his teeth tightly together as he tried to contain the anger that was burning within him. He thought back to whenever he had escaped from a group of uniformed men in Viridian City. They had threatened to take away his gym and pokemon, and he was actually thankful that he did not hear them out or he might have been injured just like Sabrina and Scarlett. He closed his eyes, trying to remember each of the attacker's faces. He knew that one of them was familiar. Lt. Surge must have been among the group that had attacked him as well.

"Ah yes. Blue mentioned that he was threatened by a group of mysterious people, but maybe he wouldn't have to run from them if he wouldn't have attacked them. Where were your manners, boy?" Blaine said with a smile. Blue glanced at Blaine from the corner of his eye and let out a growl-like sigh.

"I did the right thing." The young gym leader said under his breath while sticking his hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes when the thought came to him that was beginning to eat him up: _'If I wouldn't have ran, maybe Gramps and sis would still safe at home..'_

"Well, I hear that the weather is going to get bad again tonight, so let me heal my Pokemon, and all of you can join me for dinner back on the Seafoam Island." Blaine said while heading for the front desk of the Pokemon Center.

Scarlett nodded and shrugged. "That would be lovely, thank you." She smiled at the old man's kindness. Once Blaine's pokemon were fully healed, the trainers thanked and said their farewells to the nurse, then left the center. They engaged in small talk in order to become more comfortable with each other as they walked towards the shore. Their conversation was interrupted when a loud clap of thunder erupted throughout the sky. The water looked as if it was angry and the eerie whistles of the wind echoed throughout the entire island. The ocean's waves hit the sides of the land forcefully while the sky's gray clouds hid the setting sun with their cold embrace. Scarlett's Jolteon's ears twitched as its fur stood up against its body, sensing the presence of lightning which it loved so much.

"I think we should hurry." Sabrina stated calmly while looking at the raging waters of the sea.

Blaine opened his jacket and gently pulled a pokeball that was attached to the inside, removing it from the clip within the coat. He held the ball tightly in his hand, then the familiar white light bolted from it and materialized a large quadrupedal creature with beautiful flames streaming from its body that formed its mane and tail. It stood up on its hind legs, its front hooves moving gracefully up high and let out a powerful whinny. Scarlett eyes sparkled as she gazed upon this gorgeous fire pokemon and walked towards it with an excited smile on her face. "A Rapidash!" The young groomer exclaimed eagerly. She extended her hand up to the flame horse's muzzle so the creature could sniff her hand before she tried to pet it.

Blue scoffed and pulled out a pokeball of his own, releasing his Pidgeot. "No need to rush. We just got a huge thunderstorm coming. No big deal." the Viridian gym leader said sarcastically as he jumped on the back of his large bird. Sabrina agreed and climbed upon the Pidgeot as well, not caring if she did not have Blue's permission, though Umbreon growled at her for taken its spot. Sadly, it had to find another spot upon the bird since the psychic would not move. The feathered creature lifted itself a few yards above the sand, then dashed towards Seafoam Island at a very high speed.

"Best that we leave too. Hop on!" Blaine said as he climbed upon his Rapidash. Scarlett squealed happily, picked up Jolteon and climbed onto the fire horse's back, ecstatic that she actually gets to ride one. The creature began to back up away from the shoreline once the blonde was sitting comfortably on its back.

"Um. Where are we going?" Scarlett finally asked once they had backed up so much that they were almost to the Pokemon Center again. The old man chuckled and gently tapped his heels into the Pokemon. It softly whinnied in response, and started to run, gradually picking up speed until its feet were barely touching the ground. In an instant, they had already made it to the shoreline, and with a powerful kick to the edge, the brilliant flaming creature leaped high into the brisk air. Scarlett looked down to see the Rapidash's embers reflecting on the surface of the ocean below her. The mixture of the warmth from the dancing flames and the cold wind soothed the trainer, almost causing her to forget all of the negativity that had happened in the past few days. Finally, Rapidash's hooves met with land once more and trotted over to the opening of the cave of Seafoam Island where Blue and Sabrina were waiting.

Blaine climbed down from his faithful pokemon and ran his hand up and down its neck. "You are a good girl, aren't you? Thank you again, my friend." The Rapidash nickered in response and nuzzled its trainer. Scarlett hopped down down as well and walked in front of the fire creature once Blaine had moved aside. She thanked the unicorn-like pokemon too by giving it a few pets on its muzzle. Very soon after, Blaine returned his pokemon to its ball and Blue returned his Pidgeot, then they all walked into the cave. Lead by Blaine, the younger trainers passed where the gym battles were held, then into a small passageway which had a large makeshift curtain at the end of the corridor. Once inside, Sabrina and Scarlett both scanned the room, rather intrigued that it resembled a small living room. There was no electricity, but the cave room was lit up with many torches attached to the walls. It felt warm and comfortable, and contained a few pieces of wooden furniture, a bed, and a rug..

"I haven't gotten to rebuilding my home and gym back on Cinnabar, but I am starting to get attached to this place." Blaine said with a smile. He walked to the left side of the room where he and his pokemon had built their own fireplace. Hanging above the fire was an iron pot where a delicious scent barely escaped from the top."We are just in time." the fire gym leader chuckled as he summoned his Magmar from its ball. The bipedal monster reached for the pot and effortlessly pulled it out of the fire then placed it in the center of the room where there was a wooden table that was close to the ground. Bowls of food were made for Umbreon and Jolteon too.

Scarlett and Sabrina helped bring out a few bowls and spoons, then sat at the table, patiently waiting for such a generous meal. Blaine gave the young trainers a glass of cold water and joined them at the table. Within the pot was a steaming vegetable stew and the smell of it caused the young trainers to become even more eager to eat. Blue reached for the large spoon that was laying on the table, but it was quickly snatched away from the frivolous Blaine.

"Before we eat, allow me to ask all of you a trivial question." Blaine said while he fixed himself a bowl of the hot stew, using the spoon that he had just taken away from Blue. "Let's start with you, Sabrina. This Pokemon was able to swim qui-"

"Kabutops." Sabrina said, interrupting the fire master, but her voice was very quiet and her face barely had any expression.

"Cheater." Blue mumbled as he positioned his hand underneath his chin, lazily propping himself up.

"You are supposed to use your own knowledge, not my own. Allow me to finish the question at least." the old man said with a hint of disappointment on his face. "Can you answer a question without using your psychic powers?" He waited for a response, but Sabrina remained silent. "Okay then! Moving on! This Pokemon moves so fast, it leaves only a blur and can cause an illusion that there is more than one. Also, when it hides in the grass, its protective colors make it invisible. Blue?" he asked to the bored young man, who had his eyes closed at this point.

With no hesitation at all, the Viridian gym leader responded with a cocky smirk stretched across his face: "Scyther."

"Ah, very good." Blaine said while he took a bite of the stew. "Your turn, Scarlett."

The blonde girl felt herself get slightly nervous when her name was called.

"This Pokemon possesses the ability to sing, putting Pokemon and people to sleep. It is highly intelligent, but sadly though their number has dwindled. They can develop telepathic abilities."

Scarlett felt even more uncomfortable when she saw that Blaine and Sabrina were staring at her, waiting for her to answer the question right away, but she had the answer in mind. Blue opened one of his eyes and glanced at her as well since the room had gone quiet for a few seconds.

"Jigglypuff?" The young groomer asked.

"Good guess, but let me clear it up for you. Jigglypuff also have the ability to make almost anything fall asleep, but there is still a large amount of them and they cannot develop psychic abilities. The answer was Lapras. It's okay, those trick questions can trip you up sometimes." Blaine said with a reassuring tone in his voice. He picked up the large spoon again, and filled both of Blue's and Sabrina's bowls with the steaming stew. "Your reward for answering correctly."

Scarlett's eyes widened as a pitiful begging expression appeared on her confused face. Blaine laughed and filled her bowl with the food. "I'm only teasing." he said still laughing. Scarlett pretended that she knew that it was only a joke and happily took the first bite of the hot meal. The golden-haired girl ate her food quickly, considering that she had not eaten a real meal in a couple days. Blue had three full bowls of the stew. He made it seem that he had not eaten in months. Sabrina ate slowly, savoring every moment of the fantastic flavor.

"Blaine, How long did you live on Cinnabar Island?" Scarlett asked after taking a sip of her water.

"I lived there all my life and even now, I cannot be too far away from it. Even if that disaster took my home, I still love the island. Like I said earlier, I might rebuild my gym and home back on the island. Maybe one day it can be a prosperous island once again. So many of the other residents do not trust this place though and would never come back. It's unpredictable." Blaine replied.

Scarlett closed her eyes and took in a very long breath._ 'His home was destroyed? Cinnabar Island was completely destroyed? I'm responsible aren't I?'_she thought, the feeling of guilt consuming her. "Did a Hydreigon destroy Cinnabar Island?"

"Excuse me? A Hydreigon? Aren't they native to the Unova Region?" the old gym leader asked.

Scarlett nodded.

Blue snickered and propped himself up using his hand again once he finished his forth bowl of stew. "Why would a Hydreigon fly all the way from Unova to Kanto to destroy an island?"

"Well, a woman who used to be a resident of Cinnabar attacked me back in Fuchsia City. She told me that one of my Pokemon caused an accident years ago that involved her. I have a Hydreigon that went out of control when he first evolved around the same year, so I figured that he might have been linked to the island and the woman." Scarlett responded, trying to keep her patience.

"No Hydreigon has ever been to the island." Blaine said while scratching his face with his index finger.

"Man, trainers today: they can't even keep control of their own Pokemon anymore." Blue murmured while closing his eyes.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed, feeling offended by the Viridian gym leader's comment. "I'm a good trainer, and Hydra is one of my strongest now. All of my team is very well-trained." she said.

"They're so well-trained and you think one of 'em destroyed an island, right?" Blue said with a sly grin and looking at her with one opened eye. "Aren't you talented?"

"You've never battled me before, so you wouldn't know." the blonde groomer snapped.

"I wouldn't?" The young gym leader's face was filled with amusement.

"I could take you!" Aggravation could be heard in Scarlett's voice.

"I'm sure you could."

"I'm serious! Let's battle!"

Blue thought about it for a minute, then stood up from the table and walked towards the exit of the room while shoving his hands in his pockets. "Alright, let's go." he said.

Scarlett got up from the table and told Blaine that she will clean everything once they were finished with their battle, then trailed behind Blue. They walked down the short passageway until they were in Blaine's gym room again. Blue stood on the left side of the cave, and Scarlett stood on the right, so there would be plenty of room for their pokemon to fight. Huge rock formations outlined the room, though many had been smashed due to previous battles. Both trainers faced each other; both with the will to win.

Blue was still grinning with both amusement and anticipation. "You ready?"

Scarlett smiled too, feeling her confidence build-up once again. "Oh yeah."

"Best out of three!" The brown-haired gym leader motioned for his umbreon to enter the battlefield. "It's all you, buddy." Umbreon nodded and ran to the middle of the cave, its rings on its body beginning to glow while intimating snarls escaped through its teeth.

"Go get 'em Jolteon!" Scarlett said while pointing at the gym leader's dark fox. The pokemon darted to the middle of the room and faced the umbreon, growling as well. Its fur became razor sharp as electricity sparked from its body, illuminating the room along with umbreon's glowing yellow rings. They stared each other down until their masters told them to begin, but anticipation filled the eeveelution's eyes. Blaine and Sabrina had came into the room and sat on a few flat rocks on the side of the cave to spectate the battle. Silence filled the room for about three minutes until Blue finally yelled the first command.


	7. Eruption

_**Pokémon: Project Gray**_

_Chapter 7: Eruption_

_[If you haven't read my profile, then I will clear up some things. How I write the battles is slightly different than the games or manga. In the games, pokemon are limited to 4 moves for the organization of the game of course. In my story, the rules will be bent. They might have up to 5 elemental moves, but normal moves (like tackle, headbutt, or any other physical normal [bite as well] ) do not take up a move slot. Moves like tackle will be used by many pokemon, and the only attacks that they can forget are elemental moves (like fire spin, water gun, ect) This goes for Surf and Fly as well. You can't make a winged creature forget how to fly. Can't make a fish forget how to swim.. Can't make something with teeth forget how to bite. Anyways, you get my point and I hope you enjoy this next chapter] _

* * *

"Shadow Ball!" Blue exclaimed, breaking the silence with the warm cave. Umbreon opened its mouth and a small black energy ball began to form in its mouth. Purple and blue lightning circled the energy orb while it gradually became larger, then the black pokemon fired it at the Jolteon who was still standing its ground.

"Wild Charge!" ordered Scarlett whenever the Shadow Ball was fired. A bright lightning-charged aura engulfed the small fox pokemon, then it sped towards the vast glob of ghostly energy that was giving off a huge amount of electrical discharge itself, though different in color. Jolteon howled loudly when it hit the Shadow Ball head on, and with all of its might, it tried to break through the haunting ball of energy. Scarlett's Jolteon growled as the electricity around it began to intensify, then surprisingly, it absorbed the purple and blue sparks that were emerging from the ghost-typed attack. The lightning fox's attack had become more powerful. It was able to break through the Shadow Ball, and it ran towards the Umbreon, still growling quite loudly. Lightning and sparks continued to escape from the aura around Jolteon as it closed in on the Blue's dark fox pokemon at a quick speed, then rammed right into it. The impact of the Wild Charge attack knocked the moonlight fox off its feet and into the air, then it rolled multiple times when it landed back on the stone floor of the cave. The aura around Jolteon subsided, but it barked in victory while it stood proudly above the fallen Umbreon. It ran back onto its own side of the battlefield and it seemed like a smile appeared on its furry face as it waited for its next command. A few stray sparks from the attack waved along its body, then eventually disappeared.

"Heh, not bad." Blue said while he watched his Umbreon get back to its feet. "Faint Attack!" he yelled to his pokemon. The moonlight creature went into a sprint, heading right towards the lightning fox.

"Double Kick!" Scarlett ordered. Both foxes ran towards each other, each making a cry or a growl of some sort until they both reached the middle of the cave. Jolteon pivoted with its front paws, and kicked its hind legs at Umbreon, but right before the attack made contact, the fox of darkness had disappeared into thin air. The yellow and white pokemon turned its head in confusion, looking in all directions, but the umbreon had appeared directly behind it. Jolteon cried out of pain when the moon eeveelution violently crashed into it, knocking it off its feet and causing it to slide a few inches against the rock ground.

"You okay?" Scarlett yelled in concern. Her pokemon was slightly stunned, but it got to its feet once more, still flaming with determination. "Let's show Umbreon your speed!" Jolteon kicked off the ground with its rear legs and sped across the room until it was in front of Blue's pokemon. The electric fox's speed made it seem like it was teleporting all around the umbreon.

"Try firing a few Shadow Balls at its feet to slow it down!" Blue ordered his moonlight fox while his eyes tried keeping up with Jolteon's movements. Umbreon opened its mouth once more, forming another black and purple orb of energy, then fired a smaller ball at the yellow fox's feet whenever it appeared, but the attacks could not connect. The black pokemon fired an onslaught of the ghostly orbs all around the ground, hoping that at least one would hit. It was successful. Three of the Shadow Balls were able to hit the electric fox, which caused it to almost lose its balance.

"Wild Charge!" Scarlett called out. The familiar electrifying aura surrounded Jolteon once again, and it struck the Umbreon forcefully with the attack, causing electricity to fill the entire left side of the room. The dark fox's body flickered with sparks of lightning, but it was able to shake it off and stand tall again. Scarlett was surprised that Blue's pokemon was able to get on its feet so quickly. "Wow. Your umbreon is pretty amazing."

"He's a tank. He can take anything you throw at 'em!" the gym leader said with a smirk. "Now use Psychic, Umbreon!" The moonlight fox's red eyes began to intensely glow a bright blue color, and eventually its whole body was outlined with the bright light. When Jolteon's eyes locked on to the bright light, its own body became engulfed in the same aura, though a harsh pain came along with it. Jolteon closed its eyes and cried out, feeling like its body was being crushed with a powerful invisible force. Whenever the umbreon lifted its head, Jolteon was lifted into the air, still feeling crushed within the dark fox's telekinetic force. Then, the lightning fox was thrown backwards across the ceiling of the cave. A large thud echoed across the room when Jolteon hit the cave floor, still outlined with the blue light, however its large purple eyes shot open. The lightning fox bared its teeth at Blue's loyal companion, telling it that it was not over yet.

"Thunderbolt!" Scarlett ordered when she heard her pokemon growl. Jolteon's electricity within its body heightened, surging all of its body until it was completely surrounded by it, mixing beautifully with the psychic attack's aura. The lightning fox slowly got to its feet, and took multiple steps towards the umbreon, still charging up for its next elemental attack. The sounds of lightning being formed all around Scarlett's fox crackled throughout the dim cave. Blue's face was filled with amazement when he saw the jolteon standing, even if the psychic attack was still being used.

"Attack now!" the golden-haired girl exclaimed. Jolteon howled as a large bolt of electricity fired towards the umbreon. The lightning bolt brightened the whole cave, reflecting in both Scarlett's and Blue's eyes. A loud explosion-like sound ringed through the trainer's ears as the electric attack collided with the dark fox's body. The umbreon fell to the ground, trying to recover from the strong attack. Crackling sounds still came from its figure, as it struggled to get to its feet. Scarlett was extremely proud of her pokemon and gave it a smile when it turned its head towards her, as if it was saying: _"How did I do?"_

Blue was fairly surprised at Scarlett and her jolteon. He closed his eyes and a grin sneaked onto his face once more. He opened them after a few moments and scanned the cave. His smile grew larger when a trace of light caught his eye. "Umbreon, try to get to the west side of the cave next to that huge rock formation!" the Viridian gym leader yelled while pointing at a stalagmite that split in half, most likely due to a previous battle that occurred there. Umbreon nodded when it glanced at its trainer with one opened eye. It limped to where Blue was pointing at a very slow rate while sparks of lightning still flew from its body. Scarlett tilted her head as she watched the pokemon pitifully walk towards the west side of the room. She was actually beginning to feel sorry for it, and her conscience kept her from giving Jolteon a new command. Finally, Umbreon had reached the small ray of light that barely entered the cave since the hole in the cave ceiling was rather tiny.

"Heh, good job." Blue said while crossing his arms. "Moonlight."

Night had crept up on the trainers and storm clouds had moved away from the gorgeous moon that was high up in the black sky. Most of the stars were hidden by the cruel clouds, but a few aided the moon with their glittering light. Umbreon closed its eyes as its yellow rings began to glow again. It felt itself re-energize as the moonlight slowly restored its health.

"Wild Charge!" Scarlett yelled when she noticed that the dark fox was regaining its energy. The lightning-coated energy surrounded Jolteon once more as it sped towards the Umbreon, but the moonlight had already finished restoring its strength.

"Faint Attack!" Blue ordered his renewed dark eeveelution. Before the Wild Charge attack could hit, Umbreon had already disappeared into the shadows. Like before, the moonlight pokemon appeared in a direction that Jolteon was not expecting and knocked it off its feet with a forceful blow.

"Get it into the air with Psychic, then use Shadow Ball!" the Viridian gym leader commanded. Umbreon's eyes and body began to glow with the same blue light like before, and lifted the Jolteon off the ground, engulfing its body with the telekinetic force. Then, the dark fox opened its mouth to form the Shadow Ball. Once the ghostly purple and black orb was large enough, it fired it at the Jolteon who was still suspended in mid-air. It hit the small electric fox and knocked it against the wall of the cave, causing a few loose rocks to fall along with Scarlett's pokemon.

"Jolteon!" Scarlett cried when he beloved pokemon hit the cave floor. The umbreon walked towards the fallen lightning eeveelution and glanced down at it, still standing strong and proud.

Jolteon opened its large purple eyes, looking up at the dark eeveelution. The yellow pokemon's ears were lowered, appearing as if it was depressed, but it did not feel defeat. It growled as it swiftly crawled underneath the dark fox's body.

Scarlett smirked at the sight of this. "Pin Missile!"

Jolteon's fur turned razor sharp once again and jumped up, pushing the umbreon into the air. Its needle-like fur pierced into Umbreon's belly, then the dark fox was flung against the ceiling of the cave when Jolteon's fur fired in all directions around them. Scarlett easily dodged the missiles that came her way with graceful movements that resembled a dancer's technique. Blue was able to move away from the needles easily too because of his knowledge of martial arts.

Both pokemon landed on their feet, facing one another. They snarled at each other, showing their sharp fangs and claws. Both of their legs slightly trembled as they tried to stay on their feet. This lasted for a few seconds until Jolteon gradually lost its balance and fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

Scarlett sighed but smiled at her lightning fox's great job and returned her pokemon to its pokeball.

"That was pretty impressive, Scarlett. I haven't had an entertaining battle like that in a long time. Keep that up, and I might not get bored!" Blue said giving the golden-haired girl a playful wink.

"Well, I'm not finished yet!" she said while pulling another pokeball off of her sash around her waist. "Go Mienshao! Finish off that Umbreon!" The ball opened then materialized a white and purple Pokemon. Its arms were almost concealed with a large amount of purple-tipped fur that was split at the end. Mienshao's long skinny tail slowly swayed as it posed for battle, resembling a karate stance.

_'Ah.. A Mienshao, huh? Haven't battled one of those since the Pokemon World Championship in Unova a few years ago. Let's see how well-trained this one is.'_ the Viridian gym leader thought. "Use Psychic!" Blue yelled to his umbreon. The dark fox's eyes turned blue, then surrounded its opponent, causing Scarlett's fighting-typed pokemon to hurl over in pain. The psychic force pinned the pokemon down to the ground, and it gritted its sharp teeth as it tried to fight against it.

"Remain calm, Mienshao! Focus on your own power!" Scarlett said in an attempt to calm her pokemon. Mienshao did as she said and closed its eyes, reflecting on its own power within. Its will was so strongly trained, that the pain that the psychic attack was inflicting began to dissolve. "Use Grass Knot!" the young groomer exclaimed. The bipedal purple and white creature's eyes opened quickly then began to glow a bright green. It summoned two pieces of grass that broke through the cave floor and snaked around umbreon's legs, jerking them forward which caused the dark fox to trip. This caused umbreon to lose focus and its psychic attack subsided, allowing the Mienshao to move freely once again. The dark eeveelution was able to get back on its feet and jumped towards the Mienshao, planning to bite.

"Hi Jump Kick!" Scarlett yelled. Her mienshao leaped into the air while its arms extended, which made it look like it had large wings that were aiding its flight. Its knee began to glow a light purple color as it approached the umbreon, then it powerfully struck the moonlight creature's torso area. The impact of the knee kick caused the small black pokemon to be flung backwards directly towards its trainer.

Blue managed to catch his companion before it hit the ground. He held his umbreon close to him and gave it a few scratched on its head. "Good job, bud." He said before returning the dark fox back into its pokeball. He glanced up at Scarlett who had a gigantic smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." the Viridian gym leader mumbled while pulling off another pokeball from his belt, then throwing it into the air. The light that came from the ball materialized his Pidgeot, who screeched loudly as it stretched its giant wings. "Razor Wind!" Blue ordered. The large bird began flapping its wings very rapidly, forming a powerful wind. Within the wind, large crescent-shaped blades formed and fired at the Mienshao. The wind alone caused Scarlett's pokemon to be knocked from its feet, then the many blades hit all over its body, causing it to cry out. Mienshao was able to stand back up after the attack, though its strength was already beginning to drain.

"Poison Jab!" Scarlett yelled, knowing that none of her pokemon's fighting styled moves would not be very effective against the Pidgeot. The purple and white pokemon's hand began to glow a dark purple color as it filled with poison, then jumped towards the large eagle-like creature. It jabbed its hand right into the bird's stomach, injecting it with poison, then flipped backwards and landed on the ground gracefully. The attack was successful in poisoning the opponent to Scarlett's advantage and it was already taking its toll on Blue's Pidgeot.

"Hurricane!" Blue ordered with confidence within his voice.

"Hurricane?!" Scarlett questioned. She knew that attack was one of the strongest moves that a Flying-Type could even possess.

The large bird pokemon shrilled as its body turned into a brilliant white. It took flight and with every flap, a forceful gust of wind was blown towards the grounded pokemon. Small crescent-like blades, similar to the blades from the Razor Wind attack, flew from Blue's winged beast and towards Mienshao. Once they hit, they exploded into even more gusts of wind, causing the Fighting-typed creature to be thrown up into the air. The blades and the wind spun Mienshao forcefully in the air, and loose rocks began to make their way up into the hurricane's winds. Once the winds began to calm, Scarlett's pokemon fell to the ground unconscious. The girl's golden hair was now messier than usual and was blocking her view from the battle.

"You look lovely." Blue said with chuckle, then congratulated his Pidgeot.

Scarlett fixed her hair using her fingernails and glared at the gloating gym leader. "Well, if you want to play like that.." She mumbled as she returned Mienshao to its ball, then pulled a replacement ball from her sash. She threw the ball high into the air, and watched it spin multiple times until it finally opened. The bright white light finally materialized a massive creature that cause Blue to gasp as soon as he saw the black metal cuffs around its legs.

"Roast em, Entei." Scarlett said while crossing her arms. The Entei roared loudly in response, shaking the cave and causing a few rocks to slide down.

Blaine quickly got to his feet when he saw the large brown pokemon. "An Entei?!" he said with excitement peaking from his voice. Its been years since he had seen one.

Blue's eyes narrowed, knowing that he would have to be extra serious now. "Pidgeot, Wing Attack!"

"Lava Plume, Entei!"

Pidgeot's wings began to faintly glow as it charged towards the large fire beast. Entei simply jumped over the giant bird, but when its feet met with the ground again, it caused a large explosion of fire and smog in unison with a powerful roar. Flames spread all around the area, and coated the Pidgeot's feathers. It shrieked in pain before hitting the hot ground, but it was able to recover by creating a small twister around it once it took flight again.

"Extrasensory!" ordered Scarlett. Entei's eyes began to glow a golden color as it opened it mouth, then released a multi-colored circular beam at the large bird pokemon. The beam surround the Pidgeot and pushed it back against the hard rock wall of the cave, then it plummeted to the ground. Scarlett thought she had won, but Pidgeot was able to recover and began to fly above her Entei. Both trainer's eyes were burning with determination as they watched their pokemon fight.

"Hyper Beam!" Blue yelled to the pidgeot.

"Eruption!" Scarlett shouted in response.

Both pokemon began to charge up for their next ultimate attack. The ground began to rumble as the power intensified within the cave. Loud roars and shrieks echoed throughout the walls of the area, heightening the excitement for both the battlers and the spectators. A powerful red-orange beam shot from the pidgeot's beak, making a loud crackling "swoosh" noise as it cut through the air. Entei's body was soon outlined in a red color as it charged up for its attack. Finally, a geyser of red fire erupted from the massive beast's mouth and towards Blue's feathered creature. A few rocks that had caught fire were soon blown towards the bird's beam as well. The Hyper Beam and the stream of fire finally collided causing a thundering explosion that caused the larger boulders and other rock formations to crumble. Both pokemon's attacks battled against each other, trying to break through such a powerful force which almost caused the entire island to shake. Both attacks were emitting a large amount of heat and when combined, they could definitely melt anything that it touched.

Blaine noticed that more rocks were beginning to collapse and that the ground was beginning the crack, making him worry about the safety of the cave itself. If he lost this cave, where would he have his gym or live until he rebuilds his home back on Cinnabar Island? "Stop! Call them off! You will destroy this cave!" he yelled while waving his arms to get both young trainer's attention. "Stop!"

Blue and Scarlett both noticed his pleas and order their pokemon to discontinue their attacks, though the attacks still caused a small explosion due to their high frictional heat. The tremors from underneath began to calm and the rocks stopped sliding down the cave walls. Blue's feathered beast wings flapped a few more times before landing on the ground. Soon, the cave became silent when the Scarlett and Blue, as well as their pokemon, stared each other down, which caused a mental friction itself.

"You both are definitely talented trainers, but battling within an enclosed space is not a good idea." Blaine stated, now sounding much calmer.

"I guess we have to continue our battle another day." Blue said with a sigh. He really did not feel like arguing with Blaine. "I would of won, but I was curious about how I would do it." A smirk appeared on his face whenever he glanced at Scarlett.

"You inhaled too much smoke. I probably would have won." She said trying to remain calm.

"Well, you both battled brilliantly, now let's return to my home and get some rest." Blaine said, attempting to keep the peace. The two trainers recalled their Entei and Pidgeot in response. Sabrina got up and walked towards the corridor that lead to the room, followed by Blue. Before Scarlett could follow, Blaine stopped her by calling after her.

"Scarlett! I need to tell you something." the old man said.

"What's up?" the blonde groomer asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"I saw that you have an Entei. Very powerful creatures, and you handled it very well." he started while leaning upon his cane. "I remember you saying that a woman ,who was a resident from Cinnabar Island, told you that one of your pokemon caused an accident. I think I have figured out what might have happened." The fire gym leader took in a long breath. "When an Entei is born, a new volcano is formed or has an eruption. Also, when it roars, a volcano could erupt somewhere around the globe. I think that your Entei caused the eruption that occurred on Cinnabar Island six years ago."


	8. Double Team

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 8: Double Team_

"What?" Scarlett gasped as shock completely took over her body. Her lips trembled whenever she looked down at the cave floor, mindlessly staring at a crack that was caused by her and Blue's previous battle. "My Entei caused Cinnabar's..." she paused for a moment after she trailed off, "no way."

"I'm sorry. That must be a lot to soak in. I suppose that the woman who attacked you must have been living on Cinnabar Island when the volcano erupted." Blaine stated. After a few minutes of silence, the old gym leader's eyes focused on the stone floor just like the blonde trainer. Finally, Scarlett broke the silence with her soft voice.

"How many died?" she asked. She gripped her own arm nervously, her eyes showing so much regret. Blaine swallowed and groaned softly, not exactly feeling comfortable answering such a question, though he knew the girl wanted her mysteries solved.

"Perhaps a dozen lives were taken away because of the volcano. Unlike hurricanes, many scientists find it a great challenge to predict whenever a volcanic eruption is about to take place, especially since we all believed that ours was extinct. I know that it had no activity for thousands of years before the disaster six years ago. Being a scientist myself, it pains me that I was not able to save those people. Usually, volcanos give off signs that they are about to erupt like small earthquakes, but it all happened so fast." Blaine said while tightening his grip on his wooden cane.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed with remorse for the old man.

"I was able to save the rest of the residents with the help of my own fire pokemon. Blue was able to give me some assistance and another brave kid, who I know was from Pallet Town just like Blue, came to help too. We were able to evacuate and give medical attention to those who needed it in Viridian City. I could have lived in another city, but Cinnabar still felt like home. I had to be close by until I could rebuild a new place for myself. Like I said,I have become rather attached to the Seafoam Island,." he said while a small smile formed on his face. The old fiery gym leader looked up again, his smile fading once he saw a mournful Scarlett.

Her eyes sparkled with a single tear, but she refused to release it. "Blaine, I am so sorry. I can't imagine how it must have been for you and all of those people. The woman back in Fuchsia; she must have lost her family. She must have lost her friends. She had burn marks all over her. Even you endured so much. I really am sorry. If there is anything I can do, please tell me." Scarlett said while looking up at the older man.

Another reassuring smile appeared on Blaine's face when he slowly walked towards her. He put his wrinkled hand on the groomer's shoulder. "It's okay. It is not your fault. It's not your Entei's fault either. It did not choose the fate for Cinnabar Island. The lack of battle scars and length of its fur show that it is probably a young Entei. It was probably born on the day of the eruption. You should not blame yourself. I loved the people who were lost, but I know that they would not want us to mourn for them forever. They want us to continue on with our lives in happiness without bitterness. That is in the past now, and we need to focus on a future." the Cinnabar leader said with compassion pulsing from all of his words.

Scarlett nodded, agreeing with his words of wisdom.

"It is getting really late. You should get some rest." Blaine said. "You too, Blue!" A quiet groan came from the corner of the cave. Blue peaked out from behind one of the rock formations next to the entrance to Blaine's living area and gave the old man a sheepish wave.

"Eavesdropping is never wise, boy!" Blaine yelled while waving his cane in the air.

"Yeah, yeah. My bad. I was goin' to bed anyway." the Viridian gym leader mumbled as he shoved his hands into his pockets, then he stormed back towards the small corridor.

"Get some sleep too, young lady. Off you go. We will go to the pokemon center tomorrow." the wise fire master said.

Scarlett nodded and headed in the direction of the living area of the cave. Blaine slowly followed since he was not in any hurry. It was not long until the blonde girl had caught up with Blue. She walked a few feet behind him, still not feeling very comfortable around him yet. She was never good with new people. The young gym leader gave her a short glance over his shoulder when he heard Scarlett's footsteps echo throughout the narrow corridor.

"Think you could be louder?" Blue questioned, sarcasm coating his words. The golden-haired girl merely narrowed her eyes in response since she did not feel like starting an argument with him. Even if he was only joking, her mood was completely ruined because of her earlier conversation. The gym leader shrugged when she replied with just a cold glare, and faced forward again. Inside the living area, Sabrina was already asleep in the far left corner of the room. She was covered with a few blankets and it appeared that she had created a small "bed" out of a few quilts. Blaine finally entered as well, and chuckled when he spotted the exhausted psychic gym leader.

"Looks like she took all the spare blankets." the older man laughed. Scarlett could not help but feel slightly disappointed. A small smile appeared on the tired blonde's face when an idea popped in her mind, wiping away all of her frustrations about sleep.

Blue's expression had not changed much, but his eyes gave off a cold aura. "I don't need any blankets. I'll be alright." the young man said while sitting against the stone wall.

"You can use my bed if you'd like, Scarlett." Blaine offered politely.

The girl smiled in response to his kindness. "No, thank you. I wouldn't mind sleeping back in the gym area if I could borrow some firewood."

"There is plenty of room in here though. If people are really trying to find all of you and hurt you, you should all stay together." Blaine replied, attempting to understand why she wanted to isolate herself.

"No worries, Blaine. I'll be okay."

The old man knew that she would not change her mind, so he gave in to her wish and gave her a few pieces of his firewood, enough to last her for the night. The young girl thanked him and headed back into the battle area of the cave. She pulled a ultra ball off of her sash, then allowed it to open. The familiar legendary pokemon appeared from the light and soft growl-like purrs escaped through its razor sharp teeth as it greeted its trainer. The volcanic beast walked beside Scarlett until they reached the middle of the room.

The groomer threw the firewood unto the cave floor and gestured her Entei to light up the pieces of wood. Small orange flames spewed from Entei's mouth, instantly creating a beautiful fire that illuminated the cave. Scarlett thanked her pokemon and sat a few inches away from the flames, enjoying its warmth, but despite the comfort of the fire, her mind was being overwhelmed with grief. She perplexed about her situations, hoping that it would come to an end soon. She hated the fact that she was running from an enemy that she did not know, and not being aware if she could even trust the people who were sleeping within the same cave as her. What if they were a danger to her life and they were trying to lead her to a trap?

She kicked herself mentally for allowing these things to haunt her as much as they did. Entei laid down behind her after stretching and scanning the cave for any possible dangers. Scarlett felt herself fall backwards onto her pokemon's warm brown fur which had a considerably large amount of warmth. She wanted to sleep so badly, but her mind constantly flashed with memories that brought her discomfort. If only she had a pokemon who knew sleep powder or hypnosis with her. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. Entei had drifted into a light sleep and the fire was beginning to die out, though Scarlett just got her first wave of sleepiness. Eventually, she was able to relax enough to get a few hours of rest just before the sun came up.

* * *

_X~_Lt. Surge's ego was skyrocketing as he stood upon the sandy land, his boots slowly beginning to sink into the damp sand since he was immobile for a moment or two. The weather had slightly warmed up since the previous day, though a cold breeze would chill the skins of the search team. It was barely dawn and the sun appeared as if it was rising from the sea itself. Accompanying the Lieutenant was four people, one being the same woman who owned the Crobat, and two others who had also attacked the girls within Saffron City. They had a recruited a new member into the group too. All of them possessed a large badge similar to Surge's and it was pinned to their shirts, hat, or belt. The pieces of metal reflected the dim sunlight. They each had a grin, as if they had reached a certain goal.

Lt. Surge chuckled when he scanned the land on which he stood. He spotted more footsteps that did not belong to any of the group members leading towards a cave. He was familiar with this area since he had been here before, and it was not long until they all made their way towards the rocky entrance.

* * *

_X~_The sounds all around Scarlett sounded cloudy and muffled. Yells of people and cries of pokemon echoed throughout her mind, but a few of the louder ones caused her body to jolt in fear.

_"Someone help me!"_

_"I can't see!"_

_"Please help them!"_

Scarlett heard a variety of voices, though she could not comprehend where they came from. They were definitely familiar and she scrambled through her mind to try to place a face with each voice. Along with the sound of shrieks of terror was the sound of a powerful roar. The low rumble rung in her ears, constantly reverberating all around her and mixing with the screams. She could even hear the beating of her own heart beating loudly in her chest. Her eyes were opened wide, but she was unable to see anything besides shadowy silhouettes rushing past her.

_"Scarlett!"_echoed another voice, though it was male. It came from far away, but it overpowered the mournful screams. The confused girl just wanted to find the source of it, so she reached her hands out into the darkness, attempting to find whoever was there. She opened her mouth, but no words escaped her trembling lips.

_"Scarlett!"_This time the voice was louder and sounded much more angry.

She felt something grab her left arm and forcefully pull her in the opposite direction, causing her fear to heighten.

She closed her eyes for a moment, believing that it would not make a difference since it was pitch dark anyway, but once she opened her red-shaded eyes again, a vision of city flashed right before her. The city was simply gorgeous and full of life. A beautiful river flowed right next to the luscious domain and flowers bloomed all around on the deep green grass, making the area to glow in many rich colors. The sun was down so the buildings were illuminating the darkness with their neon lights. Many bodies of water, other than the river, surrounded this place. Flashes from the urban establishments reflected off their surfaces and gave the area even more light. Most of the houses within this mysterious place had blue-tinted roofs and had a well landscaped yard.

Scarlett felt herself smile when she looked at the many wonders of this urban paradise. She closed her eyes again, feeling a strange peace take over her body. This sensation was interrupted whenever a large explosion caused her eyes to shoot open once more. The once beautiful city was now covered in flames and the sound of screams filled her ears again. All of the building's windows were broken or even blown out and each piece of the shattered glass emulated the flame's reflection off their surfaces. Fire completely swallowed the ground, and had placed its fiery grasp upon a few of the smaller homes. The clouds appeared to be many shades of orange and due to the high flames, the sky was filled with smoke and floating debris.

_"Scarlett!"_This time the voice was right in her ear. She felt her entire body shake as she took in a fast and sharp breath. In an instant, she was back in the Seafoam Island cave in the same spot where she and her Entei had slept. She felt someone lift her off the ground and into their arms, causing a small squeak to come from her mouth in response. Scarlett's eyes were still filled with sleepiness and confusion sweep over her mind again while she tried to process what was happening. She tilted her head up to see that it was Blue was the one carrying her and he had a very unpleasant expression on his face.

A large blast of electricity and blob of steaming purple liquid crashed right where they stood, but luckily, they managed to move far enough not to be touched by the intimidating substances. The high voltage lightning gave off a small explosion when it made contact with the cave floor. The purple acid-like liquid merged with the sparks of electricity, fueling their fury and caused the rock to melt away. Though Scarlett and Blue were spared from the attacks, the force of the explosion caused the Viridian gym leader to lose his footing, causing them to fall to the ground. Blue attempted to shift himself so he would not land on top of the girl, but with such little time, they both fell unto their fall definitely woke up the confused Scarlett since her face made contact with the hard cave floor.

A quiet groan came from Blue as he recovered from the impact of the fall. He rolled over and gave Scarlett a cold glare. "You are an idiot." he said bluntly. "Who sleeps through this?! Get up and help out!" The irritated Blue got to his feet and ran towards the entrance of the cave where a battle was taking place. Scarlett's Entei was standing on the side of the entry way, roaring loudly at the intruders. Its intimidating sounds was working quite nicely considering that nothing dared to get near it.

The blonde got to her feet and followed Blue to outside of the cave. Sabrina and Blaine were already outside. Blaine was trying to reason with the newcomers, but Sabrina had already summoned one of her pokemon for battle. Another creature that Scarlett had never seen before stood close by to the entryway of the cave. Entei did not seem to be bothered by this pokemon, so she knew that it must belong to one of her temporary teammates. This tall beast was purple in color and it possessed a large horn protruding from its forehead. Its muscular chest and abdomen had a gray coloration and spines trailed down its back, stopping at its lengthy tail. Scarlett could not remember the name of this pokemon, but judging by the shape of its spiky ears and horn, she presumed that it was the evolution of a Nidorino.

Her eyes narrowed once she saw the intruders. "You.." she growled when she instantly recognized Lt. Surge's face. "How did you find us?"

Another creature, who most likely caused the acid from earlier, stood in front of the uniformed woman. Blaine was eyeing her carefully, a hint of disappointment within his heart. "Janine?"

The woman did not respond, but she appeared to be slightly ashamed by the fact that she was there.

The man standing next to her was holding something, but Blue and the others focused more on the pokemon since they did not think it was dangerous.

Lt. Surge scoffed when Scarlett caught his eye. "Electro Ball." he ordered his creature who was standing in front of him. It was covered in yellow fur and black stripes and a larger lightning bolt shaped stripe was on its stomach. Its large arms began to glow while multiple sparks of yellow electricity surrounded its limbs. The young trainers recognized it to be an Electabuzz: a really powerful electric pokemon that was native to the Kanto Region. All of the electricity condensed into one area, forming a ball of pulsing energy in between the pokemon's hands. The creature grunted when it threw the ball directly towards Scarlett, but the attack did not even make it close to her. Entei had fired a blast of burning hot flames towards the Electro Ball, causing it to dissolve on contact.

Lt. Surge's face filled with amusement when he saw the power of her Entei. "How did a little lady like yourself capture the volcanic pokemon of legends?"

"Answer my question! How did you find us?" Scarlett snapped.

"We were informed by a gentlemen who worked at the PokeMart in Lavender Town. We had a few leads that you folks might be at Cinnabar Island, and this was the next best place to look!" the lieutenant said with a grin. "Now, answer my question."

"I'd rather not." the fiery blonde responded with hatred in her words.

"Kids like you are dangerous. What if you decide to turn on people and use that thing for acts of cruelty?" the man shouted while pointing to her fire typed pokemon.

"Says the man who is attacking us! What's the point of all this?" Blue yelled through his gritted teeth. "Where the hell is my sister? Where is Gramps?"

"_You_all are criminals." Lt. Surge responded. "You refuse to cooperate with the government."

Blue laughed at his words. "So, if you don't get your way, you go around hurting people? I don't wanna be under a_ 'government'_who thinks they own me!"

Blaine shook his head while he listened to the arguing happening outside of his gym. "Lt. Surge, I think you should leave. I will tell you my answer about joining your group in a more appropriate time."

"This is an appropriate time!" Surge yelled. The sun's rays finally made their way out of the shelter of the clouds, and shined down on the island.

"And you'll try to kill him if he doesn't?" Scarlett stated while extending her arm towards Blaine. "What's wrong with you people? That is not how leadership works here! You know that! "

"Well, the world that you know does not exist anymore." the uniformed said while sliding his pair of sunglasses on his face, then signaling the other four allies to step forward.

"Flamethrower, Nidoking!" Blue ordered his beast as soon as Lt. Surge moved his hand, assuming that he was planning another attack. The bipedal monster opened its enormous mouth, flames building up in its throat, and released them at the opposing group.

"Protect!" shouted the Lieutenant. His Electabuzz jumped in front of the group surrounded by a large force field that appeared to be a blueish green color. The fire simply bounced off of the shield, sparing Lt. Surge's group from any sort of severe burns or injuries.

A growl-like groan came from an agitated Blue, and he clenched his teeth when he saw the former Vermilion gym leader of lightning glancing at Blaine. "Sabrina, get Blaine and that girl out of here! I got this!" the brave young gym leader exclaimed, his Nidoking roaring in response a few seconds after he finished his sentence.

Blaine had a stern expression, then nodded in disagreement. "I hope you don't plan on continuing this meaningless fight!"

Another blast of electricity was fired right at the old man merely seconds after he spoke. A blinding light consumed the Seafoam Island, the sounds of the bolts of the sparks was the only noise that could be heard. A faint scream could be hurt over the continuous explosions caused by Lt. Surge's assault. Scarlett opened her eyes in horror, attempting to view where Blaine once stood, but she was still unable to see due to the radiance of the electric attack.

"Blaine!"


	9. Earth Power

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 9: Earth Power_

Lt. Surge let out a maniacal cackle when the sound of the sparks began to die down. Just the sound of his laughter greatly disgusted Sabrina considering that she knew him to be different before this wave of madness, and even another member of the Lieutenant's group felt the same resentment for the seemingly muscular man.

Scarlett's fingers trembled whenever the smoke began to dissipate from the chilly air that caused multiple flurries of sand beneath the trainers' feet. Praying that she would not see Blaine's mangled body whenever the gust cleared, she turned her head to face the sea so she would not even have the slightest temptation to peek at the gruesome sight.

Sabrina's face was covered in disappointment after viewing Scarlett's behavior. The uneasy blonde's body language spoke loud enough that people who did not possess psychic abilities could read what was on her mind with maximum ease. Sabrina placed a hand on one of her hips and took a few steps closer to where the previous electric attack had landed. "Look at you!" The psychic let out a gruff sigh, showing her annoyance. "Assuming the worst will not get you anywhere! Stop cowering and look!"

Scarlett felt the bite within her words. She veered her head in the direction where the Cinnabar gym leader once stood, preparing herself for whatever she was about to see.

"Huh...?" She narrowed her eyes when she saw a large amount of purple displaying itself as the smoke cleared. Blue's Nidoking's body was curled up in a defensive maneuver, its scaly armor steadily flashing a yellowish tint as it absorbed any remaining sparks that attempted to get to the humans. A low snarl came from Nidoking while it got to its feet and uncoiled its long powerful tail, revealing its trainer and the stunned Blaine. The beast had shielded the Cinnabar gym leader as soon as its trainer commanded it. Blue was standing in front of Blaine, his eyes full of anger while he gazed upon Lt. Surge. The older yellow-haired man suddenly began laughing again whenever Blue caught his eye, heightening the Viridian gym leader's animosity for him.

Blue stretched out his hand down to Blaine, who was still knelt down on the ground, and pulled him to his feet, then stormed towards Lt. Surge. "You're so dead." he mumbled while motioning for Nidoking to follow.

"Stop it, boy!" Blaine yelled while trying to hold the furious young man back. "If you do something foolish, then they will never leave you alone!" Though the old fire master tried his hardest to get him to reconsider, he knew that his pleas were futile since Blue's expression was not even affected by his words.

"Sludge Wave!" Blue snapped, and just as soon as he yelled his command, his creature's roar thundered throughout the island in a loyal response. In mid-snarl, Nidoking's vast fangs glistened an eerie violet color since steaming acid began to bubble within its powerful jaws. Then, it fired a boiling wave of sludge towards Lt. Surge and his Electabuzz, hoping for the assault to connect. Most of the opposing team was able to move away to avoid direct contact, but to Blue's advantage, the poison attack was slowly sinking into Electabuzz's yellow fur. Surge's pokemon was clearly being affected by the move, which gave Blue amusement for the first time that day.

When Lt. Surge noticed Electabuzz's sluggish movements due to being poisoned, he summoned another one of his pokemon from its ball. This creature resembles an upside down pokeball with a large grin upon its face. "Electrode, use Roll Out!" the man yelled. In response, the ball-like creature rolled at a very rapid speed towards the bipedal monster, whose mouth was still oozing with sludge. The attack was too sudden for Blue to command Nidoking to do counter and before he knew it, the Electrode had already rammed into Nidoking's armored chest. The impact made Blue's beast slide across the ground until it hit one of the outer walls of the stony Seafoam Cave. It let out a small hiss of pain as multiple rocks, that were knocked out of place all around the cave, began to fall on top of it.

Lt. Surge chuckled when he viewed Blue's reaction, and began to conjure another command for his pokemon. Scarlett, who still felt bitterness towards the man, decided to intervene. "Bulldoze!" the groomer yelled over the sounds of the falling rocks. A roar came from her Entei as it jumped high into the air. Then, whenever its powerful paws touched the ground once more, an explosion underneath them affected the ground below, sending shockwaves and tremors throughout the soil.

The aftershock caused most of the trainers and pokemon to lose their footing, but the ones that were the closest were hurt by the attack. Even Scarlett and Blaine had fallen to the ground because of the force of the ground eruption. While the tremors were still occurring, Entei dashed towards Lt. Surge's group, its sharp claws extended and snarling with all of its might. It knocked over everything that was in its path, including pokemon, humans, boulders and small plants.

By the time Entei's attack was complete, Nidoking had recovered and just received a new order from Blue. The familiar boiling substance began to form in the violet beast's jaws, and soon it was fired at the stunned opposing team.

Sabrina gasped, appearing as if she had just seen a ghost or like a cold chill just went up her spine. She let two more of her pokemon out of its ball, and ran towards the entrance of the Seafoam Island at a fast pace. Scarlett watched in bewilderment since she thought that they were winning. "Sabrina! What's wrong?!" she yelled while extending her hand towards the fleeing psychic, but she had already disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

One of the newly released pokemon had a turquoise body of steel and possessed four mechanical arms that branched out from the center point, making it appear to be a metal arachnid. A metallic cross that resembled an "X" was built into its face, separating its two red eyes: a creature that was known to be named, Metagross. The other pokemon appeared to be an evolution of Slowpoke. This regal pokemon was known by the name of, Slowking.

Instead of following Sabrina, it merely crawled next to Sabrina's other pokemon, which was a Hypno. The both remained outside, not even attempting to follow their trainer. Scarlett turned her attention back to Lt. Surge, who was attempting to recover from the attack. Groans of pain were heard while he got back to his feet. His Electabuzz had fainted and another one of the trainers appeared unconscious as well, both covered in dirt and traces of sludge. Electrode was upside down, appearing to be unconscious, and would have rolled away on the uneven terrain if a few broken stones would not have immobilized it.

Blue's lips curled into a smirk, then he eventually began to laugh while facing Lt. Surge. "Awww! What happened?!" the Viridian gym leader mocked. "Have a little accident?"

"Heh.." Surge managed to gain his smile again once he heard a few more rocks move away from his recovering Electrode. "You're about to be in one, Blue Oak." The Electrode's round body began to pulse with a bright light and its eyes were clenched shut like it was in pain.

Blue studied the movements of Lt. Surge's pokemon. His jaw dropped in disbelief when he remembered Electrode's most troublesome feature. "You wouldn't let that thing explode here!"

"If it means getting rid of the filth that corrupts this region, then so be it." Lt. Surge stated calmly with a large grin on his face.

His words angered Blue. The Viridian gym leader knew what the Lieutenant had done in the past. He had always been the type of man who would carry out acts of ruthlessness, then say that it was the right thing for everyone afterwards, or cover it up with his military status. He was even apart of Team Rocket at one point...yet,_ he_was the filth? Why was this man so blind; so oblivious to his own actions?

The island was just too small for an explosion from the Lieutenant's Electrode. It would most likely kill them all if they let it self destruct in the open. Blue knew the power of the spherical creature since the pokemon had so many years of training considering it was one of Lt. Surge's first pokemon. Of course, all Electrodes tended to explode in battle or even detonating as a recreational activity among the species, but one so aged must have some advancement in power.

A large group of wild pokemon bolted from the cave, either flying or swiftly running. They were obviously alerted of danger.

One of the members who was with Lt. Surge, was consumed with fear. He summoned one of his own winged pokemon, and fled from the island, not wanting to be caught in the explosion.

"Heh. Coward." Lt. Surge whispered as he and the rest of his colleagues watched him fly away.

Blue gritted his teeth, his eyes clenched tightly while he thought of ways he could escape from such a fate. He could not chance his Pidgeot making the flight back to safety since it was still suffering from the poison that Scarlett's pokemon inflicted on it in their battle that took place the previous day.

Blue cursed himself for not having any antidotes with him. Finally, he opened his eyes and turned his attention to Blaine. Regret was obviously his expression when he solemnly stared at the old man, as if he was trying to ask for forgiveness. Blaine gave him a reassuring smile, and gave him an understanding nod, believing that they must do what they had to.

The young man viewed the Electrode, and winced when its glowing gradually became more rapid, showing that it was getting closer to self-destruct. "Nidoking, knock it into the cave!" Nidoking sprinted towards the pulsating Electrode, then spun around, thrusting its tail towards the electric-typed pokemon. Its powerful tail slammed into the spherical creature which instantly knocked it into the air, sending it straight into the entrance of the Seafoam Cave. The Electrode rolled deep into the cave and landed close to the far left corner of the stony wall. "Now block the entrance!" Blue yelled, hoping that the weight of the rocks and the sturdiness of the cave would shield them from most of the explosion. Nidoking could easily see the frustration in its trainer's voice, so without any hesitation, it began to crash into the cave which caused the entrance to gradually cave in.

"No, wait!" Scarlett screamed. "Sabrina is in there!"

Blue could curse and have an anger tantrum if he wanted to, but there was no time for that. The young gym leader ordered for his pokemon to stop its actions for the time being, but the cave did not cease to crumble. Before the angered Viridian gym leader do anything about it, one of Lt. Surge's colleagues began to attack his Nidoking. "Hurry up and get her!" he shouted at the blonde before he gave his pokemon a new order.

Scarlett sprinted towards her Entei and grabbed its long brown fur, pulling herself onto its back. As soon as she was secure, the legendary beast darted into the cave, pushing through many rocks that were sliding into the entrance. Smaller stones fell on the blonde trainer's head, causing her to cry out in pain and shield her face with her arm, but she only commanded her pokemon to run faster. They ran past the Electrode who was completely engulfed with light now. Sabrina was not in the gym area of the cave, so they sped towards Blaine's living area.

Scarlett was relieved to see Sabrina quickly approaching them within the narrow corridor. The psychic climbed onto Entei as well, holding a large bag tightly to her. Entei circled around and sped down the darkened corridor until they reached the main area of the cave where Electrode was vibrating rapidly. Scarlett felt a tinge of fear whenever a larger boulder had fallen into the entrance of the cave, blocking the way out, however, a smile appeared on her face. "Bulldoze!" she ordered, then shielded her face into Entei's warm fur. "Get down!" she warned Sabrina. She obeyed and buried her face into Scarlett's lower back. The volcanic beast pushed against the ground, hoisting its body into the air like before, and hit the ground with immense force. The tremors spread across the cave floor, causing even more rock slides and splitting a few of the stalagmites completely in two.

The attack assisted Entei in sprinting across the shifting rock floor, raising the volcanic creature's speed as it approached the entrance. Finally, its head collided with the rock, completely pulverizing the enormous stone that barricaded the entryway. Small rocks flew in all directions as the boulder shattered, a few scrapping the girls' skin who were perched upon Entei's back. They were almost free from the cave, but the shockwave from Entei's ground attack had reached Electrode, triggering the explosion that was only a few feet away.

The Lt. Surge's pokemon turned into a roaring sphere of flames as an intense amount of energy blazed from its body, completely destroying the area where Blaine held his gym matches. Following the blast came a clamorous boom that spread throughout the area that mixed with the sounds of the crackling stone that surrounded the cave. The heat from explosion melted the tall stalagmites before pulverizing them into bits while the left wall of the Seafoam cave was blown completely out. The blast sent thousands of rocks into the air until the barrage of them came crashing down, disrupting the peacefulness of the water that bordered the island. A cloud of black smoke covered the sky, giving the area an uncanny aura while it loomed over the piece of land.

Scarlett turned her head to face the explosion, though the brightness nearly blinded her. A few embers came close to singeing the tips of the cape-like fur that flowed gracefully from Entei's back. The wrath of the explosion was closing in on them and at this rate, they would never escape being caught in the blast. "Entei, use Flamethrower to block it!" Hot embers began to dance within its mouth as it jumped high into the air, then it faced the incoming rocks and flames that were approaching them by nimbly shifting its body in the opposite direction, remaining airborne. A red-orange steam of fire was quickly released towards the blast, melting and destroying most of the rocks that were about to hit them. Entei's fire overpowered the flames that were about to incinerate them, and even gave them a small boost to temporarily get out of range from the rest of the explosion.

Once they were a few feet from the entrance of the cave, Sabrina jumped off of the aerial Entei and landed on her feet next to her two pokemon, who were still standing their ground nearby the cave unlike the others. "Now!" the psychic screamed at her creatures while facing the explosion. Her Hypno, Metagross, and Slowking formed a line, then their bodies were soon highlighted in a bright blue light as they used their psychic abilities to contain the madness that the Electrode had caused. Sabrina's eyes began to glow a bright blue as well after she climbed onto the head of her Metagross.

She extended her hands towards the raging blast, then began to push it back the raging flames with her telekinetic powers, assisting her pokemon. The four psychics had created a barrier around the Seafoam Cave, imprisoning the explosion within. A few rocks were able to escape from the barrier, but Scarlett ordered her Entei to smash all of the ones that came close to her colleagues. Once there no more stray rocks, Scarlett told her Entei to join Sabrina's group by using its "Extrasensory attack."

Blue yanked a pokeball from his belt and threw it towards the telekinetic group, releasing his own psychic creature. "Help em Alakazam!" Alakazam obeyed as it lined itself up with the group of Sabrina and Scarlett's pokemon, then began to use Psychic to aid in the barrier's power. The large force-field was a beautiful blue, though the wild flames outlined the inner walls, causing the illumination to be far more brilliant. The vivid colors from Entei's Extrasensory attack gave a lovely addition to the barrier as well. Lt. Surge and his group looked upon this wonder with awe, even to the point when the Lieutenant had to remove his sunglasses in pure disbelief. Blue and Scarlett gazed at the six pokemon lined up together, then at the powerful shield. They admired Sabrina's plan. They felt even more admiration for their own pokemon's contributions to the force-field.

Finally, the explosion began to die down. The group gradually began to power down as the flames and rocks weakened. Lt. Surge scrambled for another pokeball, and commanded his group members to attack while Blue's team was distracted. Thankfully, Blaine noticed this. "Magmar! Use SmokeScreen!" the old Cinnabar gym leader yelled while he threw a pokeball at them. As soon as Magmar materialized in front of them, smoke was fired at the Lieutenant's group, temporarily blinding them. While their accuracy was down, Blaine returned his pokemon, then ran towards Blue, "shouting" his name in a whisper. "Blue, we got to get out of here. From the looks of it, I think they might be planning yet another attack." he whispered frantically. "We must hurry!"

Blue narrowed his eyes, not liking the idea of having to run away, but he reluctantly nodded. "How?" he simply responded, still not facing Blaine.

"By sea. We will dive into the water where they cannot see us, then head for Cinnabar Island! Quickly!" Blaine replied, and ran towards Scarlett to tell her the plan. The blonde looked at the old man in confusion as he approached her. "Do you have any water-type Pokemon?" he asked her.

"Of course. Why?" Scarlett asked while facing her Entei who was still slowly powering down the force-field.

"Quickly summon your pokemon and dive into the water. Head back to Cinnabar. You must remain quiet though." Blaine whispered, then ran back towards Blue.

Blue returned his Alakazam and Nidoking back into their pokeballs, then pulled another ball from his belt. He carefully slipped into the water until it was up to his waist, and opened the pokeball underwater, letting his cerulean serpentine creature materialize underneath the surface of the seemly cool waters, causing the water to light up temporarily. Gyarados's four white fins protruded from the disturbed water, the rest of its body being hidden by the waves. Its trainer climbed onto its neck area and grasped the three-pointed dark blue crest that was upon Gyarados's head. Blaine had caught up to him and climbed on Blue's water pokemon as well.

Meanwhile, Scarlett and Sabrina returned their own pokemon whenever the explosion had calmed, then ran towards the shoreline. The force-field finally dissolved, making a few whistle-like noises as it disappeared. Scarlett pulled a pokeball of her own off of her flowing sash, and did the same as Blue by releasing her creature underwater. Her pokemon's body was hidden by the dark water, but its tail stuck out from the surface, reflecting a few beams of light that peaked through the smoke within the sky with its colorful scales. The tail was covered in shining blue and reddish scales that were outlined with deep black. The appendage slowly sunk into water until only the end of the tail was visible. The tip of this creature's tail contained four larger scales that were also blue and red in color. Its scales appeared to be overlapping each other, making the end of the tail resemble a fan. Brilliant colors from it even reflected off of the surface of the water. Scarlett climbed onto the back of her large sea serpent pokemon, and was soon joined by Sabrina, who sat behind her.

All of the trainers held a deep breath, then Gyarados and Scarlett's newly released pokemon dived deeper into the sea. The water was at a chilling temperature, making most of the trainers feel uncomfortable. Scarlett was able to open her eyes underwater even if it did sting, then directed her creature by gently pulling it in the correct direction. Gyarados was leading the travel under the sea, and it was definitely moving at a fast pace, so the blonde trainer simple motioned for her own pokemon to swim faster in order to keep up it. The trainers were slowly running out of air, but they continued to direct their pokemon towards the western island. Finally, they had made it to Cinnabar Island. Both the serpentine creatures swam up the side of the island, then broke out the surface of the water, causing a large amount of sparkling water to splash around them. All of the humans took in a sharp inhale once they were out the water, being relieved to have air back into their lungs.

"Well..That was fun.." Scarlett panted as she laid against the scales of her pokemon as it swam to Gyarados's side. Blue glanced at the girls, slightly glad that they made it here alright.

Blaine coughed and wrung out his hat. "Let's hurry to the Pokemon center before Lt. Surge catches on." He placed his still soaked hat back unto his bald head, and scanned Scarlett's water pokemon. "What a beautiful Milotic." he said, but before they could have any chat, Blue had ordered his Gyarados to go to the Pokemon Center. The large blue beast lifted itself from the water, and floated towards the medical building located in the middle of the island, in a motion reminiscent to the flight of oriental dragons.

Scarlett smirked as she watched them fly away, knowing that her creature could do the same thing. "Follow them Milotic!" Her colorful sea-serpent pokemon let out a howl-like cry that echoed all around it, then lifted itself into the air and followed Gyarados using similar movements. The two pokemon flew gracefully through the chilly air until they finally reached the Pokemon Center. The trainers hoped that they could get all of their pokemon healed before their unfriendly foes could hinder anymore of their plans.

Meanwhile, the heavy smokescreen finally dissipated, allowing the Lt. Surge to see. He scanned all around to see that only his group remained on the island. He chuckled while he studied the skies just in case they fled by flight, but he saw no one. "I will find you." he whispered. "I _will_ find you.."

* * *

**Author's note/ Hiya guys! Hope you liked this chapter! If you liked it, be sure to follow and give it a review! Thanks very much! What would you like to happen? =o Who know, I might use your idea! Suggestions on how to improve is always appreciated!**


	10. Return

_**Pokémon: Project Gray**_

_Chapter 10: Return_

The smell of smoke was still apparent even though the young trainers were inside of the Pokemon Center on Cinnabar Island. The warmth of the building was comforting to them, but they were still soaked to the bone. Scarlett wrapped her arms around her body, attempting to warm her chilled skin. The nurse gasped softly when she noticed the four drenched trainers and stood up from her chair.

"Blaine! What on earth happened? I heard an explosion that came from Seafoam Island and I was praying for your safety!" the nurse said while approaching them.

"Don't worry. Most of us made it out safely, though I do not believe it is wise to stay here anymore." the old man responded. His expression appeared to be saddened.

"Most of you?" asked the nurse as she covered her mouth.

"The rest of my pokemon were in the cave during the explosion. I was not able to get them out in time." Blaine paused to take a mournful sigh. "My Magmar made it out safely though." he said while he pulled the single pokeball out of his pocket.

"All of us made it out safely." Sabrina said as she dropped a large bag onto the floor, then opened it. She pulled out a smaller bag and held it close to her while she approached Blaine. A smile appeared on her face when she placed the bag in Blaine's wrinkled hands, noticing that he was definitely awestruck. His eyes began to water when he opened it. Inside contained all of his pokeballs; all of which he thought he lost in the explosion.

Sabrina's smile grew larger when Blaine's frown curled into a joyful grin. "I saw the fate of the Seafoam Island. I knew that the cave would crumble, so I rushed inside to grab as many things as I could before its demise.."

"Heh.. Well, aren't we lucky to have a psychic on our side." Blue said sarcastically while walking towards the bag. He took a peek inside and the sight almost caused most of his anger to disappear. Sabrina managed to grab a large amount of food, medical supplies, and a few of their own personal belongings. Blue pulled his own backpack from the bag and gave the psychic a simple nod, thanking her for what she had done.

Blaine thanked her from the bottom of his heart as well, and stated that this was a sign of hope.

"Hey Nurse! We need our pokemon healed!" Blue said, interrupting the moment of happiness.

Cinnabar Island's nurse nodded and returned to the medical desk. The Viridian gym leader had no patience at this time, so he took the opportunity to go first.

The rest of the trainers lined themselves up behind Blue, and waited their turn to get their own pokemon healed.

"After everyone is healed, you should leave." Blaine said while giving the nurse a stern look. "We are being pursued, and they will most likely come here to find us. They are a dangerous bunch, and it would be best if you left the island. I will be leaving for the time being anyway, and without a gym, even less people will come here. "

The nurse appeared to be disappointed, though she trusted Blaine and agreed to leave once their pokemon were back to their full strength.

_X~_ Meanwhile, black smoke still lingered in the sky above Seafoam Island, and damaged rocks continued to roll down from a large pile of shattered stone; stones that used to make up half of the cave. Lt. Surge could care less if any of his allies were wounded. He forced his grounded accomplices to their feet and ordered that they pursue "the criminals" before they got away.

The former Vermilion gym leader knew that Blaine would be an asset to their team, especially since he was the wisest of them all and would benefit his men greatly. He definitely wanted Blue captured, but his reasoning was different than his desire to apprehend the old Cinnabar gym leader. Even if Blue Oak was the strongest of all of the gym leaders of Kanto, Surge only desired for him to rot in prison for the rest of his life. Even the thought of ending the troublesome boy's life would sneak into his mind, and it was strangely satisfying to the man.

With a few of their winged pokemon, the injured group was able to make it off of the crumbling island, but their new destination was Cinnabar Island, for it was the closest place where they could properly rest.

_X~_ Scarlett was surprisingly happy to be away from the islands and onto the main body of Kanto. Sabrina, Blue, Blaine and her were able to heal their pokemon with no problems and retreated from Cinnabar Island. Her trusty Jolteon was by her side once more, full of energy and it definitely appeared to be excited to be outside of its pokeball. The trainers returned their water-typed pokemon to their pokeballs since their surfing duties were complete, and continued to walk towards a few small trees that outlined the shoreline.

Lead by Blue, they made their way to a small town that seemed to be quiet and empty. The ground that used to be drenched because of the previous storm was finally beginning to dry with the aid of the now visible sun. Though Sabrina and Blue appeared to be much happier to be in this new area, the silence of the town was unsettling to Scarlett. In other places that she would visit, she normally heard the singing of pokemon and the chatter of the people who were residents or tourists. The only thing that could be heard here was the grass crunching underneath their shoes "Where are we?" asked the blonde girl.

"Home sweet home." Blue replied, "This is Pallet Town." his voice lowered to a growl. "I wonder if..he is back yet."

"Who?" Scarlett mouthed to Blaine when Blue was not looking. The older man shrugged, and kept his mouth closed. If the young man was talking about his grandfather or his sister, the wise Cinnabar gym leader did not wish to upset him further by talking about them in his presence.

"I'll be right back." Blue murmured while sprinting towards the largest structure in the vicinity; his grandfather's laboratory.

"If this is Pallet Town, then this must be where Professor Oak lives! I've heard great things about him! Is that his lab? Wow, I have to meet him!" Scarlett giggled while her and the other remaining trainers patiently waited for Blue's return. Her excitement surprised Sabrina since it was the first time she had been cheerful since they joined forces.

Before the spirited blonde gave chase to Blue, Blaine gently gripped her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid your wishes will not be fulfilled today, dear."

"Huh?" Scarlett blinked in confusion as she turned towards the wise old man.

"I assume that Prof. Oak has been captured by the same group who is pursuing us." he explained while staring at the handle of his wooden cane.

"But why would they go after him? He is innocent!" Anger began to rise within Scarlett, and the volume of her words definitely revealed her growing rage to the others.

"Yes, but Lt. Surge is after Blue. Capturing Oak was most likely his idea of weakening Blue mentally in order for an easier capture. It is such a sick way of trying to lure him in. "

"What does Blue have to do with Prof. O-"

"Blue is Professor Oak's grandson."

Scarlett's eyes widened in amazement and she stood in silence for a minute, trying to absorb the new information. "Whoa.." she started. "small world." Her amusement was cut short when she thought of what the young gym leader could be going through because of the lost of his grandfather.

The sound of breaking glass caught all the trainer's attention. Naturally, they scanned the area to find the source of the loud noise, and eventually, multiple crashes echoed throughout the town.

"The lab!" Sabrina yelled while darting towards the building with Scarlett and Blaine close behind. They pushed the large metal doors open to see that the inside of the infamous laboratory was shrouded in mayhem and chaos. A few desks were broken in half, research papers that had caught on fire covered the floor and a few areas of the walls were black with burn marks which surprisely darkened the bright room. Behind the madness were five men who were clothed in black uniforms and each had a pokemon that appeared to be battling against Blue's Nidoking. Judging by the sluggishness of the unfamiliar men's creatures, it was obvious that Blue was winning and did not require assistance.

"Smokescreen!" one of the strangers ordered his pokemon. A screech rang throughout building as a thick blanket of smoke covered the lab, causing the trainers to be unable to breathe or see. To their advantage, Blue was able to summon his Pidgeot and the large bird immediately cleared away the dark gas with the powerful gust created by its wings. Once they were able to see, the five uniformed men had disappeared from the building.

"Heh..Why am I not surprised." Blue grumbled while returning both his Pidgeot and Nidoking.

Scarlett's face was covered in confusion. "Was that..."

"Team Rocket? Yes." Sabrina interrupted.

"I thought they disbanded years ago." the blonde wondered.

"Well, it didn't stop em from stealing tons of stuff today!" the angered gym leader said while kicking over a chair. "They must have heard that Gramps wasn't around." He glared at a few people who were standing in the far left corner of the room who were dressed in white lab coats; Prof. Oaks assistants. "What's wrong with you people?! What would have happened if I wasn't here?" Blue yelled at the seemingly frightened scientists, assuming that they just watched in fear instead of taking action.

Blaine approached the furious young man and pulled him away from the aides. The Cinnabar gym leader was beginning to worry about how rashly he was acting. He had always been so collected before and rarely let anything pressure him emotionally. The kidnapping of his sister and grandfather had obviously taken its toll on Blue, and Blaine was able to see it clearly. "Calm down, son. I'm sure they did all they could." he reassured him. He focused his attention to the assistants who were obviously disappointed because of the raid. "I suggest that you contact people who will be able to help you guard the lab until Professor Oak returns."

"It's not just us who needs help. These attacks are getting worse.." one of the assistants replied sternly. "Ever since the Celadon Game Corner accident, there has not been a peaceful week."

Sabrina closed her eyes in response to the assistant's statement. She had seen visions of future accidents taking place all over Kanto, but remained quiet since she was skeptical of the thought of helping every single living creature who needed assistance in the region.

Scarlett felt a trace of fear rising in her heart. What on earth was going on? "How many things can possibly happen in such a short time? We weren't even on the islands that long."

"If the attacks are continuing, that means there are more people involved besides Lt. Surge. Team Rocket has to be behind all of this." Blue replied.

One of the assistants nodded his head in response. "No.. I have heard that a large creature is what's responsible for destroying Celadon Game Corner. Why would Team Rocket destroy a building that they practically owned at one point plus, the amount of damage done in that area was immense. It is surprising that we even had any survivors at all. The property was completely annihilated and witnesses said that it all happened in only a few seconds. How could they gain so much power to destroy something so quickly in such a short time? Surely, someone would have noticed Team Rocket since they work in numbers."

"If it was so large, why didn't anyone see what caused it?" Sabrina asked.

"I'm afraid that I do not know too much about the accident except for that the creature was large and extremely fast. Residents of Celadon described it as a white blur."

"What if Lt. Surge really wanted you guys to help stop these attacks? Why are we running from someone who could possibly stop all of this?" Scarlett whimpered. " I've done nothing wrong, but I feel like I criminal. Maybe we should just join up with him and maybe this will all stop."

"You can't be serious." Blue snapped. "That man is sick! Someone who tries to do the right thing does not kidnap or hurt people if they don't get their way!"

The blonde couldn't help but slightly agree with him. She did watch the lieutenant harm Sabrina when she refused to assist him. His actions were definitely unorthodox, but Scarlett barely knew any of her new companions. Blue and Sabrina might have done things that caused Lt. Surge to use force against them. She did not know who to trust anymore. "Well, I'm not going to be apart of this. I'm going back home."

"I won't stop you.." Blue countered, then walked towards one of the computers located in the front of the room.

"That is a bad idea, Scarlett." Sabrina said lowly. "If Blue's family was kidnapped because of his rebellion, who's to say that your family will be spared? Since you are not from here, you are at an advantage, but we never know who may be watching us. You might be followed and your family would be put in danger."

A distraught sigh escaped the blonde's lips. 'I could not risk it.' she thought. Scarlett regretted being so curious about the old woman back at the groomer's shop in Fuchsia City. If she wouldn't have visited Sabrina, she wouldn't even be apart of this mess. She wished to back in Ecruteak City, living her own life without the stress of being pursued and harmed. Many negative thoughts swirled within her mind.

"Even if you never met up with us, you would still be involved." the psychic whispered.

"Stay out of my head." Scarlett growled.

"Everyone in Kanto is now involved, and I know that the people of Johto will soon experience similar attacks."

Assuming that Sabrina had more visions of the future, Blaine realized the seriousness of this growing threat. "You are a powerful trainer, Scarlett and if Sabrina is right, we will need all the help that we can get. Together, we can put a stop to this problem before it transforms into something that we cannot control. I suppose that we are all here for a reason; it is fate that created this alliance."

Jolteon nuzzled its trainer's leg to reassure her that everything would be okay and to signal that it was okay to be join up with the gym leaders. Scarlett glanced down at her electric fox, surprised that her pokemon felt comfortable with these people, then her gaze returned to Sabrina and Blaine. "Fine." she mumbled, finally agreeing to stay.

Blaine gave her a smile and a thumbs up, which actually made the young blonde smile in response. Blue was indifferent about her decision, and approached the trainers once more when he finished up with the PC.

"What were you doing, Blue?" the Cinnabar gym leader asked as he twirled his mustache with his index finger.

"Switching out a Pokemon. I think we gave plenty of psychic types with us already," he responded while glancing at Sabrina, "so I put my Alakazam back in the PC. Let's go to Pewter City. We should see if Brock knows anything about these attacks and maybe he'll join us."

"Good idea. Well, let's be off then." Blaine replied. "Call for assistance and make sure you gather enough pokemon to guard the lab, alright?" he told the lab assistants before they made their way out of the gym. When Scarlett and the gym leaders stepped outside, they were greeted the warm sunlight that they all missed.

Blue eyed a certain house that was located on the right side of the edge of the town. He stared at it while they walked through the quiet area, contemplating whether or not he should take action. "Maybe we should.." he trailed off. "Nah. He probably isn't home anyway."

The others quickly shrugged off the Viridian gym leader's comment, and soon they were within the first route of their journey; a journey that held many mysteries and dangers that were just waiting for skillful trainers to step into their territory.


	11. Stone Edge

_Pokémon: Project Gray_

_Chapter 11: Stone Edge_

The shining sun was extremely soothing to the traveling trainers and was definitely a sign of hope considering that the past few days had been rainy. They traversed through the forest that separates Pallet Town and Viridian City for the remainder of the morning because of Scarlett's need to pick every single berry in sight. Eventually, it got to a point where Blue did not want to wait on her any longer because the priority at the time was far more important than gathering food, especially if they had enough supplies already..

Since they were getting closer to Viridian City, its gym leader was beginning to become curious as to how many people were waiting on him for a battle; still oblivious to the events that had happened days before. Blue slightly squinted his eyes when he did not see a familiar building when he peeked in between the trees. That's funny.. He always could see his gym from this distance.

"Something wrong, son?" Blaine asked when he saw the expression on Blue's face.

The young man remained silent, but his walking speed gradually sped up with every passing second until he was at a running speed. He ran off of the path, and made his way into the thin forest that outlined the dirt trail, cutting the time left to reach Viridian City in half. Scarlett watched him disappear into the light brush, and decided to follow since she figured that he merely took a shortcut to the city. Sabrina and Blaine exchanged worried glances before they followed the two young trainers.

Finally, they had entered Viridian City. Blue sprinted past a few of the residents who were conversing about random events that occurred recently, but the distracted gym leader easily ignored them. He slowed down as he approached the property of the gym. He lightly panted as he scanned the area around him, his facials slowly turning even more dismal the more he stared. His gym was gone. Nothing but a pile of broken stone, glass, and brick. Scarlett watched him from a distance. She was more confused than she was sympathetic but figured she should stay away from him for now. It was the least she could do.

Blaine slowly approached the distressed Blue, and stood a few feet behind him, respecting his personal boundaries but showed that he was still there if the former Viridian gym leader needed him for guidance. If it wasn't for the low rumble of the cities gossip, the silence would have been completely dreadful.

"I'm not going to waste anymore time.." Blue said; his voice was low and a tinge of anger held on to his growl. "I'm going to Pewter." he said while pulling a pokeball off of his belt, then throwing it above the ruins. The ball snapped open, then the familiar white light flew out of the object and came crashing onto the debris. The light materialized into a large quadrupedal beast who immediately let out a majestic howl, its brilliant orange coat emanating with thousands of embers. The creature's cream-colored mane and tail danced in the strong breeze after the newly released pokemon shook away the lingering embers that rested on its striped fur. The floating ashes were soon illuminated by the small flames, and elegantly spiraled around its body as if it this beautiful sight was planned from the start.

Scarlett's eyes sparkled for two reasons as she watched the summoning of Blue's Arcanine: one being that the sheer beauty of the pokemon was dazzling, and two being that she once owned an Arcanine at one point.

Blue quickly climbed onto the pokemon's back and began guiding it away from the pile of ruins.

"Blue, wait a minute!" called Blaine while extending his arm towards the bolting gym leader, but with Arcanine's speed, Blue was deaf to his words. The old man sighed in slight annoyance, but quickly replaced his frown with a large smile. "Well, better follow him!" he brightly stated while pulling of pokeball of his own. The ball snapped open, and soon revealed his trusty Rapidash. He climbed onto the fire horse pokemon and patiently waited for the two females to follow.

Blaine's optimism lifted the spirits of both Scarlett and Sabrina. With all the tension occurring within the group, it was nice to see a smiling face.

Scarlett pulled her ultra ball from her belt, and released her Entei, who let out a soft growl upon its release. The blonde pulled herself upon the brown creature's back and gently gripped its thick mane. As uncomfortable as she was around Sabrina, she motioned for the psychic to climb aboard her Pokemon as well. When both the females were both perched upon the legendary beast's back, it slowly began to walk towards Blaine and Rapidash, awaiting for the flaming horse to pick up the speed.

The gossip of the the residents gradually became louder as soon as the groomer summoned her Entei. Some of the people were extremely intrigued at the sight at the volcano pokemon, but most of the citizens were enraged.

"That's the girl who has the legendary pokemon from Johto!" exclaimed one of the Viridian City residents. The crowds went into an uproar of both rage and fear.

"It think he called it Entei!"

"Why are our gym leaders helping her?"

"Helping her? I thought Sabrina and Blaine were the traitors.."

"That Entei is dangerous..If that trainer wanted to, she could order it to destroy us all."

"Call for help!"

"What if they are the cause of the attacks?"

"I wish Lt. Surge was here." one of the youngest city girls cried while clinging to her mother tightly.

Scarlett halted her pokemon's movements when she heard that the crowd were talking about her group. "What?" she whispered to herself, then motioned for Entei to turn around and approach the residents.

"This is a terrible idea, Scarlett." Sabrina warned the blonde, but was ignored by the stubborn groomer. As they got closer, the people began to back away, unsure if they were going to attack them.

"What's the matter? We're not going to hurt you! You got it all wrong! My Entei would never hurt any of you, nor would I." Scarlett said softly as she hopped down from her pokemon. She was surprised when the Kanto residents continued to back away, but a young child refused to move. Scarlett gave the small girl a warm smile as she kneeled down, becoming eye level with her. "See, I'm harmless."

"Stay away from her!" screamed an older woman, who was seemingly the child's mother. She pulled the girl away before giving the blonde trainer the deadliest glare imaginable. Scarlett was undeniably shocked by their reactions towards her. On top of the cold stare from the mother, a few of the bystanders were about to summon their own pokemon, as their pokeballs were clenched tightly in their hands, but Entei's quiet growls and intimidating posture froze the trainers in their tracks. The confused girl slowly stood back up, feeling a blanket of sadness cover her. The volcanic beast slowly approached Scarlett, and clenched the fabric of her clothes with its teeth. Entei pulled her backwards, returning her to its back, then fled from the crowd and proceeded to catch up to Blaine.

"They were afraid of us.." Scarlett uttered. It was merely a few weeks ago that she was respected and one of the best groomers out of all the regions, and now she felt as if she was a convicted criminal. What crime did she commit though?

"Surge has obviously brainwashed the residents. We will get this sorted out in time so don't fret." Sabrina reassured the girl, then guided her through the rest of the metropolitan area, then into the wooded route, until they reached Pewter City. Once they stepped into the borders of the city, Rapidash trotted over to the girls who still had a worried Blaine on its back.

"Where were you two? I thought you both were right behind me." the old Cinnabar gym leader said.

"It's nothing. Where is Blue?" Sabrina asked with barely any expression on her face.

"Already in the Brock's gym. We should go ahead and join him." Blaine replied. The girls agreed and proceeded to guide their pokemon towards the Pewter City gym. Once they arrived, they returned their Pokemon to their pokeballs and entered the building, though yells of disagreement filled the room.

"You don't even know what's going on! No one is going to come to your gym with these raids going on anyway! It's pointless to stay here! Lt. Surge's group gets bigger every time he shows up, but If you join us, then I betcha we could beat him! You're one of the best gym leaders!" Blue's shouts were the first thing that the new incoming trainers could hear.

The Pewter City gym leader, known as Brock, stood silently in front of Blue. A stern frown was plastered on his face and his muscled arms were tightly crossed against his chest. When he got the opportunity, he finally spoke. "What exactly did Surge do wrong?"

"What did he do wrong?! He keeps attacking us!" Blue responded rashly.

" I'm sorry, but I cannot understand why would do these actions without reason. In the past, he only attacked if someone else attacked him first. Did you?"

"Well, I.." Blue stuttered.

"Did you attack him?" Brock calmly asked again.

"Yeah, but-"

"Well, that explains everything." the rock gym leader responded while raising an eyebrow. "You're probably not understanding each other's motives."

"I had my reasons. Look, if you joined with us, we could easily put him in his place." Blue was almost smiling, in fact, his eye were actually filled with cold greed.

Brock's expression turned more hesitant as he watched Blue's conniving grin, and pondered if he should even be involved with this group because of how the boy's egotistical personality was was obviously clouding his vision.

"C'mon! Let's show him what happens when he messes with the gym leaders of Kanto." Blue said darkly, his eyes narrowing into a depraved state. After a few moments of thought, the Viridian gym leader's huge desire of victory for such a meaningless fight discouraged Brock from joining the alliance against Surge.

"Sorry, but I can't help you." the Pewter City gym leader.

Blaine was beginning to feel disgusted with Blue's behavior. The stress of having his family taken away from him was completely corrupting him, and his dark motives would most likely add to their problems. It was time for the wise old fire master to make his stand. "I'm sorry about this, Brock. Please don't heed in his words. Let me try and explain." Blaine started. Blue was about to intervene with his own speech, but the Cinnabar gym leader interrupted before he could utter out one word. "We have all experienced an act of violence by Lt. Surge. He asked something of us, but since we did not comply, I believe he will continue to follow us in an ill manner. We are confused as to why he is carrying out so many destructive actions towards us, but it is the same confusion that is keeping us together and fighting for safety."

Brock nodded as the wise man spoke.

"Blue's family has disappeared and we have connected these events with Lt. Surge's ambushes on us. It's only natural that the boy is acting this way," Blaine stated while glancing at Blue. "but he will learn to control his anger towards him. Don't think poorly of him. In any case, perhaps it would be best if you joined us because there is a strength in numbers. These attacks are unpredictable and I'm sure we could protect each other. " Blaine concluded.

Brock let out a quiet sigh while his thumb and index finger rubbed his chin as if he was in deep thought. "I understand," he paused for a moment. "but, I'm going to have to decline your request." he said while his fingertips continued to brush against the light stubble that covered his face. "These attacks will most likely continue, but unlike you or Blue, I have locals who truly depend on me. Blaine, you have been alone at your gym for years now, and Blue is never at his gym to begin with. I'm not surprised that you two may have forgotten that I have gym members here. It is my job to stay here and I will protect everyone in this city. They're my people.. my family. Nothing will hurt them as long as I am here."

Blue's face read with utter disappointment, but Blaine shook his head in agreement to Brock's words, respecting his wishes of staying in Pewter City. "Very well." the older man replied. "I wish you the best and I know you'll keep your people safe." With that, the visiting gym leaders turned and headed for the exit.

Scarlett awkwardly trailed behind the three gym leaders, unsure what to say next. She was unfamiliar with the area as well, but judging by the posture of the group, she could tell that they all needed a rest. "Let's stop for a bit. We haven't stopped moving for a while now and maybe some rest will make us feel a lil' better."

"I think that would be best." Sabrina replied.

As much as Blue did not want to stop at that time, he knew that the others were probably exhausted. Situations like this made him wish that he traveled alone, but he knew that his allies will eventually prove as useful in the future. If it wasn't for his anger, he probably would enjoy their company. "Fine. We can set up camp in the route in between here and Mt. Moon. The mountain is miles away so we'll worry about getting there tomorrow and possibly get some training in. After that, we'll head to Cerulean City. Maybe we can get Misty to join us before some other freak accident happens and hopefully she'll have some leads as to where Gramps is." he said while jamming his hands in his pockets. "Let's go."

"Well, the kid definitely has leadership qualities." Blaine chuckled to himself while him and the others obediently followed him through Pewter City. Their next destination being the majestic Mt. Moon, and only optimism could comfort them from the dangers that awaited them. ]

_x~_ Meanwhile in Pewter City, Brock was training a few of the newest members of his gym. He praised them for their determination, and figured they were ready for him to teach their Pokemon a powerful rock-typed move, but their training session was cut short when a clamorous boom erupted near the entrance. The door was torn off of its hinges and spun inside of the gym, almost hitting a nearby trainer, but Brock simply countered by ordering his Golem to knock the object away. "Are you alright?" he asked the startled boy, when it was safe. The boy nodded, then positioned himself for battle while staring at the thick smoke that surrounded the empty doorway.

Brock and his gym members waited in silence. Their pokemon were standing in front of them while they patiently waited for their commands. Finally, they spotted a silhouette of a tall man in the smoke slowly approaching them as sparks of electricity danced around his feet.


	12. Night Daze

**_Pokémon: Project Gray_**

_Chapter 12: Night Daze_

* * *

Brock and his gym members watched as the large man approached them with a huge grin on his face. Walking next to him was his Raichu, whose cheeks were sparkling furiously..

"Hello Surge. We were just talking about you." Brock said while crossing his arms. "You can put your Pokemon away now. I wouldn't want it to get hurt."

"You know it is disrespectful to not address me as Lieutenant." the former Vermilion gym leader warned while removing his sunglasses. Out of the smoke came out five more people, and they all obediently lined themselves up behind Lt. Surge. Brock recognized two of the people right away and the Lieutenant laughed when he noticed his expression.

"I need you to come with us now, Brock." Lt. Surge commanded.

"I can't." the Pewter City gym leader replied.

"Are you refusing you do your duty? Are you forsaking the people of Kanto?" Lt. Surge's expression was gradually becoming more angered. He pointed to his accomplices behind him. "These people know what they must do!"

"I know my duty, and it is to protect the people of Pewter City. I can't abandon them." Brock stated calmly.

"You are abandoning the entire region! Can you not understand the dire events that are occurring as of now? We've got problems more urgent than your puny gym. Do I have to beat you till you are thinking correctly?!"

"You can try."

Lt. Surge growled and motioned his accomplices to step forward. "Take em." he said lowly as he released his Magnezone and Electrode. The other five members of his group released their Pokemon as well, but Brock did not give them enough time to order any attacks.

"Stone Edge!" Brock yelled at his Golem. The large boulder-like Pokemon bellowed as jagged rocks began to swirl around its body, gradually becoming white as they spun faster around it. "Now!" ordered its trainer. Golem instantly fired the sharp stones directly at the opposing members, and the onslaught of rocks connected with the bodies of all of the enemy's pokemon. Lt. Surge's Raichu was almost brought down right away. "You know better than to bring Electric Pokemon into a Rock gym!" Brock yelled over crashing of the stones.

"You are making a mistake, Brock!" Lt. Surge said when the attack subsided.

"It is you who made the mistake for threatening me in my own gym. Get out!"

"You do not give me orders, boy." Lt. Surge growled.

"Then I'll force you out! Rock Slide!" Brock shouted. His Golem and Onix growled loudly as large blue ripples of energy formed on the ceiling of the gym. In a matter of seconds, large boulders began to fall from above. Brock chuckled while he watched the intruders scramble for a safe place to stand, but their efforts were in vain. The sound of crashes filled the room, and the ground shook violently every time a large stone collided with the floor. Lt. Surge ordered for his group to flee, knowing that endangering his allies were not worth it. The entire gym began to cheer as they ran out of the building. Brock merely smiled, then ordered his Pokemon to block off the entrance of the gym with another large boulder, knowing that his gym and his people were going to be safe as long as he was there.

* * *

_x~_ After walking several miles out of Pewter City, the exhausted pokemon trainers finally found an enticing place for them to rest themselves and their pokemon. They approached a vast boulder that appeared to be black and slightly crumbled on the right side, though most of the rock was planted in the ground. A few craters and fragments of multi-colored rock covered the ground in the vicinity, however, a healthy amount of plants grew around them.

"We're getting closer to Mt. Moon. See all the craters and meteorite pieces?" asked Sabrina while pointing to a few of the rocks.

Scarlett knelt down and picked up a speckled stone and moved her fingertips against it, intrigued as she felt its unearthly textures. "Wow, this is pretty cool! I've actually heard of Mt. Moon from a few of my customers back in Fuschia City. They said that meteor showers happen frequently there. I would love to see one!" she excitedly said while standing up again. None of her allies seemed to be excited about her statement and the only hint of positivity was shown by Blaine. She exhaled very heavily at their expressions, her small smile gradually disappearing along with the sun.

It was becoming dark so once the trainers put down their belongings in front of the boulder, each member of the group set out to complete tasks in order set up camp. Blue went to collect firewood and Scarlett used multiple repels to ward off wild pokemon within the area. Once the wood was properly chopped, they created a small fire, however, due to the sogginess of the branches, it took multiple tries to start it. Blaine and Sabrina began to cook a meal for the famished group while Scarlett handed water bottles to each of them.

"We're leavin' in about four hours, guys. Get rested up." Blue mumbled while leaning against the space-oriented boulder and crossing his arms behind his head.

"Four hours? It would still be dark, plus everyone needs more rest than that." Scarlett responded.

"Nahh. You're just lazy." the agitated gym leader said.

"Blue, I know you are completely exhausted, but you are being overwhelmed with stress. You need to rest even more than us. You haven't slept in days." Sabrina said while intensely staring into Blue's eyes from a distance, secretly analyzing his thoughts.

"We can't wait. Who knows what's happening to Gramps or Daisy." he countered.

"But, you can't assume the worst is happening to them. I honestly do not think Lt. Surge would hurt them because they are not even involved with these affairs. I believe they are completely safe and Surge is just trying to toy with you." Blaine added with a smile.

"You don't know that!" Blue roared, surprising all of the trainers and causing Scarlett's Jolteon to begin growling at him just for feeling provoked.

"Blue..You need to calm down." Blaine calmly requested of him.

The young gym leader's negative demeanor was causing Scarlett to feel even more uncomfortable and her own stress was beginning to spike. She watched Blue's every movement, worried that he might try to do something drastic if they said anything to him again. The groomer tugged at a pokeball that was around her belt until it easily popped off, expanded the ball to its full size, then released the creature that was resting inside. When the light faded, the pokemon revealed itself to be the Milotic that she used to escape from the Seafoam Island.

An intimidating smile appeared on Blue's face when he saw the newly released serpentine pokemon and he almost broke into a small wave of laughter. "Whatcha think you're doing, Scarlett?" he chuckled since he got the impression that she wanted to use Milotic against him.

"Nothing. I just like her company." Scarlett simply said as she patted her faithful pokemon's neck. She smiled when Blue's expression softened almost immediately as the serpent let out a cry that almost sounded like a soothing song.

The Viridian gym leader appeared to be going into a trance, and while he was in such a hypnotic state, he barely even noticed that Milotic's eyes were glowing a pale pink color.

'It's working. It's even working on me too.' Scarlett thought to herself as she closed her eyes in a relaxing manner, letting Milotic's empathetic abilities take over her mind.

Blue was shocked at how relaxed he felt at that time. How can one be so angry, feel absolute bliss seconds later? He felt the fear of losing his family slowly dissolve and the animosity he held in his heart towards Lt. Surge was gradually becoming more controlled.

"Feeling better?" asked a happier Scarlett.

"I'm even feeling better myself and even more on the positive side, dinner is ready!" Blaine acknowledged the group. His voice was obviously sounding more spirited than usual.

Blue nodded while he walked towards the camp fire. He was confused, but for once he could not complain about how he felt at the time. "What the heck did you do?" he asked Scarlett while he sat indian style in front of the fire.

The blonde trainer smirked while she filled a large bowl of food for Jolteon and Milotic. "My Milotic has the ability to remove negative thoughts." she simply stated, then fixed a bowl for herself.

"Wow.. It happened to you too?" the brown haired gym leader said to Sabrina, slightly freaked out by her smiling face.

Blaine let out a chuckle after swallowing a mouthful of warm stew. "Well Scarlett, you and your Milotic outdid yourself tonight! We definitely needed that!"

Milotic's eyes appeared to be extremely happy itself, and curled its extremely long body around the entire group as if it was protecting them. Its head rested next to its trainer while it joyfully feasted on the pokemon food that was prepared for it.

"I wonder why those people were so afraid of me." Scarlett wondered while she ate.

"Afraid of you?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah.. Back in Viridian, the people seemed like they were terrified of us." she responded.

"Perhaps they are not used to seeing trainers with legendary pokemon and with all of the attacks that are going on, it's natural that they do not trust the rare trainers who have them." the fire master replied while placing his bowl on the ground.

"What do you do, Scarlett? Are you a gym leader, a champion, or what?" Blue asked with his mouth full.

"I'm a Pokemon groomer." She finished up her stew and rested the bowl in the grass beside her.

"_Just_ a Pokemon groomer?" Blue's expression was unimpressed.. "How does a Pokemon groomer get an Entei?"

"I obviously used to be a full-time trainer when I was younger." she said while her eyes slightly narrowed in annoyance. "Now I just train my pokemon whenever I get off of work everyday. Entei was definitely a challenge to get though."

"Would you mind sharing?" Blaine asked happily. "Too bad we don't have marshmallows!"

Scarlett giggled at the old man and nodded. "Sure, I guess I can." Milotic's comforting presence made it easier for her to dig into her past and think of ways to word everything correctly. "I'm originally from the Unova region, but most of my family lived in Ecruteak City, so I often traveled back and forth. I really hated doing that because it was such a long trip, but at the same time, it my choice." she started while petting her Jolteon's head.

"Jolteon was my first Pokemon. All of my family members were given an Eevee as their first pokemon. My family owns the Ecruteak Dance Hall, and dancing with an eeveelution has been a tradition for centuries.. I loved to dance, so my mom let me stay there for weeks at a time so I can practice to become a Kimono girl when I got older. I had a passion for battling too. Besides Jolteon, most of my team had not evolved yet. Our goal was to train until everyone was fully evolved and to become the first Kimono Girl to reach the Elite Four."

She glanced at the grass beneath her. "On top of my dance practices, I trained my pokemon for hours at a time, and during one of those training days, I first spotted Entei. Catching him became another new goal, but it began to consume my life. We would track him for hours and it took days to even get close to him. I had caught a Haunter to make sure that Entei would not escape again. One day we encountered him again, and everything was ready to go. Hydra, who was still a Zweilous at the time, and my Haunter almost got Entei weak enough so I could capture him, but then..." Scarlett swallowed.

She closed her eyes as flashbacks filled her head. "Hydra evolved. He had been blind all of his life, and when he gained eyes for the first time, it completely terrified him. He destroyed everything in the area out of fear, and broke Haunter's "Mean Look" on Entei. He escaped, but Hydra continued to attack Haunter, Jolteon, and me. The last thing I remember was being surrounded by blue fire. I woke up in a hospital weeks later. I had a severe concussion and my family told me that I temporarily lost my memory. All of my hair was burned off too." Scarlett moved her hands underneath her blonde hair and lifted it up, revealing scars all over her temples.

"Apparently Haunter had teleported us away from Hydra. He wasn't that hurt, but Jolteon lost her hearing in her right ear. After I was released, I became extremely self-conscience about my hair loss, so I quit practicing dance, but I was even more determined to capture Entei. Hydra was still rampaging back in Johto so I had to recapture him too. Once I recaptured him, we continued to train and chase Entei. The final battle was very close to Olivine City. An hour into the fight, I felt like I was going to pass out and all of my Pokemon were exhausted. The ground was leveled out from all of the attacks, and I remember that the sky looked like it was on fire." A sigh escaped from Scarlett's lips as she relived this experience.

"Before I blacked out, I threw one more Ultraball. I watched it shake a few times, but my vision was starting to fade. When I woke up again, Entei was standing right in front of me. It was the first time that I've ever been so close and I was honestly scared of what he was going to do next. I stood up though, and stared him right in the eyes. I was unsure what to do since my Pokemon were all fainted, but I just continued to stare him down. What shocked me is that the Ultraball was resting near his feet. It wasn't destroyed." the blonde groomer's eyes began to water.

"Entei roared...then bowed to me," she chuckled and wiped her eye. " I had caught him with that Ultraball, and he came out again just to congratulate me..or accept me. I finally caught him. It took me five years."

Blaine began to clap as soon as Scarlett finished her sentence, feeling moved by her story. Sabrina joined in as well, smiling very sincerely.

"Well, maybe you're not as weak as I thought." Blue mumbled with his eyes closed, as he was imagining the whole scenario the entire time. He opened one eye and gave her a playful grin.

Scarlett smiled in response and gave him a thumbs up. "Yup!"

The group continued to talk for a few more hours about past experiences and random stories. Could it be that they were actually becoming..friends? The trainers bonded until they all fell asleep around the dimming campfire.

* * *

The next morning, the well-rested trainers continued on their journey to Mt. Moon. There was many wild Pokemon encounters on the way, but none were too threatening. After hours of traveling, they finally saw Mt. Moon peeking above the trees.

"We made it!" Scarlett exclaimed as she skipped ahead, still feeling the effects of Milotic's mental abilities the previous night. Jolteon trotted next to its trainer until a peculiar smell intruded its nose. The electric fox barked at Scarlett and clenched onto her lacy sock with its teeth, halting her movement. A blast of purple liquid crashed unto the ground in front of them, burning away all the grass, then melting a hole in the earth. Scarlett's eyes widened as she jumped backwards on impulse. "What the?!"

"Be careful! It's Team Rocket!" yelled Sabrina while summoning her Metagross.

Blue scanned the area until he noticed a small trace of movement behind some nearby bushes. "There! Arcanine use Flamethrower!" he yelled while throwing his pokeball in that direction. The large dog of flames flew out of the ball, its mouth overflowing with embers. It released a stream of hot fire towards the bush, instantly igniting it and causing the hidden attacker to flee.

Sabrina's Metagross stopped the Team Rocket grunt in his tracks by using a strong wave of its Psychic powers.

"Thunderbolt, Jolteon!" Scarlett ordered. The eeveelution jumped into the air as electricity engulfed its body. It fired multiple bolts of lightning at the man, causing him to cry out in pain. When the attack subsided, a few sparks lingered on the grunt's clothing, but he was definitely close to losing consciousness.

Blue stormed towards the fallen villain, and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt. "You thought attacking us would be a good idea, huh?"

The Team Rocket member stammered and almost choked due to the tightness of Blue's grip.

"Why did you attack us?" the Viridian gym leader glared at him for a moment, then smirked. "Hey.. I remember you. You were one of the guys who stole from the lab in Pallet Town. Tell me where your hideout is!" His Arcanine moved his massive head closer to the grunt, bearing its razor teeth at him which frightened the villain even more.

"Easy Blue.." Blaine warned. Blue's expression softened a tiny bit, and he almost appeared to be pouting, but he pushed the Team Rocket member closer to his Arcanine's growling mouth in amusement. "Blue!"

The young man laughed and pulled the man away from his snarling creature. "Well?" he taunted the grunt. The grunt appeared to be frightened for a moment, but his frown slowly turned into a twisted grin. Blue lifted an eyebrow in confusion, but quickly let go of the man when a thick blanket of black smoke covered the area. Realizing it was most likely an ambush, Blue quickly began thinking of another order for Arcanine, however the fear of hitting one of his own allies hindered him from saying the command.

Scarlett struggled to breath, and attempted to move away from the smoke. Her face collided with something cold and scaley, her skin automatically felt irritated when she pulled herself off of the object. She felt something tickle her nose multiple times, and waited until the smoke cleared enough so she can view the obstacle within her path. The blonde let out a gasp, when she discovered that whatever was tickling her was the tongue of a purple scaled snake with a multi-colored design on its stretched hood. Loud hisses erupted from its now opened mouth. Acid saliva coated its needle-like teeth filled mouth and its touch flickered with every hiss.

The groomer was able to dart out the way before it could bite her. "Wild Charge!" she yelled when she faced the Arbok once more. A lightning filled aura surrounded Jolteon while it began to run towards the gigantic cobra.

"Venoshock!" shouted another voice that pierced through the trees. The poison within the Arbok's mouth increased greatly until it finally released a cascade of purple-colored liquid. Jolteon was able to dodge it due to its intense speed, and crashed into the large snake pokemon's hood. Lightning pierced into the Arbok's body, causing it to cry out and fly a few yards backwards.

A blood-curling scream made Jolteon turn around swiftly, making it forget about the grounded serpent. The ground had more holes burnt into it, and a trail of them lead right to Scarlett. The lightning fox ran toward its trainer when more whimpers and cries came from her. The Team Rocket member who owned the Arbok finally appeared from behind a tree and slowly walked towards her. Jolteon growled at the man, its fur instantly being shrouded by lightning and becoming razor sharp. When he took another step, the yellow fox fired a Thunderbolt right at him, and its speed rendered his escape plan useless. The golden-haired girl collapsed, and writhed in the slightly singed grass, holding her face with badly burned hands. Jolteon nuzzled against her in a comforting fashion. Her allies ran towards her and quickly knelt down beside her.

"Are you alright, dear?!" Blaine yelled while he ran towards her. Blue rolled her over on her back and glanced over her shaking figure. Her legs, and clothes were covered in burn marks. The blonde's arms had smaller burns, but her trembling hands appeared to be the worst.

"Let me see." Blue ordered Scarlett while he gently tugged her arms away from her face, but they did not budge. He winced when a wave of quiet sobs came from the girl. "Let me see!" He pulled her hands away from her face only to be mortified at the sight. The skin around her eyes had been burned and more marks covered both of her cheeks.

"I.. I can't open my eyes. I can't see." she whimpered.

Blaine frantically grabbed a water bottle from a travel bag, and poured it on Scarlett's face, hoping to wash away any other trace of poison.

"She may lose her eyes.." Sabrina whispered to Blaine while she searched for any other medical supplies in their bags.

The fire master gritted his teeth as worry consumed him. "Blue, have you ever been to Mt. Silver?" he quickly asked.

"Yeah, why?" the Viridian gym leader asked.

"We must go there immediately! The hot spring there has healing abilities. If we hurry, we may be able to save Scarlett's eyesight!

Blue nodded and carefully picked up the trembling girl.

"No. With this condition, moving her would not be the best idea." Blaine countered.

The younger man held Scarlett tightly and carried her over to Sabrina's Metagross. He gently placed her on its head.

"Here." Sabrina said while giving Blue a piece of medical tape. He quickly wrapped it around her head, but Scarlett thrashed around due to the intense amount of pain. Jolteon jumped up and curled up next to its trainer, as if it was trying to keep her warm on the cold metal pokemon.

"You're gonna be okay." the Viridian gym leader whispered to the silently crying girl. "Sabrina, take her to Mt. Moon until I get back."

"I'll go with you, Blue. Let's hurry!" Blaine said as he walked towards them.

The brown-haired boy nodded and climbed onto his Arcanine, then assisted Blaine on the fire dog. As soon as they were safely aboard the creature, Arcanine quickly sprinted into the west direction, its feet becoming a blur. Within seconds, Sabrina could no longer see them. She focused her attention back on Scarlett, and climbed onto Metagross as well. The steel pokemon drew its four legs together then lifted itself into the air by using its telekinetic powers. It hovered over the moon rock infested ground towards the mountain while its trainer cradled the injured girl in her arms.

A low chuckle sneaked from the mouth of one of the spectators. "I guess we are going to Mt. Moon again."

"Arbok outdid herself." whispered another.

"That Scarlett girl is probably useless! It will be much easier to steal that Entei now. Let's just snag the ball!"

"Then, once we turn it in, we will be rich!" About a dozen of uniformed men emerged from the shadows of the trees and joined together in a dark laughter, the red "R" symbols on their chests glowing as brightly as their eyes.


End file.
